cartouche

A cartouche is an oval or oblong loop of rope-like line that encloses the name of a king or queen in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. The enclosure serves to mark royal titulary and to confer a sense of permanence and divine protection on the ruler’s name. Within the cartouche, the throne name and birth name of the pharaoh were written in hieroglyphs, making the royal identity immediately recognizable in inscriptions and monuments.

The term cartouche derives from the French word cartouche, which in turn comes from Italian cartuccia and Late Latin cartuccula, meaning a small roll, case, or scroll. In Egyptology, the symbol’s distinct shape and protective function led to its enduring association with royal names rather than with mere decoration.

Beyond its Egyptian usage, the word cartouche has broader applications in Western art and design. In architecture, heraldry, and engraving, a cartouche is a decorative tablet, shield, or frame often filled with inscriptions, coats of arms, or mottoes. In maps and prints, cartouches frequently appear as ornate title blocks that house the map’s title, scale, legend, and dedication. In modern contexts, the term can also refer to a cartridge, particularly in French, though this is a separate sense from the decorative or epigraphic uses.

Overall, cartouche denotes both a specific ancient Egyptian device for indicating royal names and a broader class of ornamental frames used to display inscriptions.