Gipsen afgietsel van een tablet met hiërogliefen uit Wadi Maghareh before 1862

This is a plaster cast made by A.J. Brown of a tablet with hieroglyphs from Wadi Maghareh. The most dominant visual element is the cartouche, an oval enclosure surrounding hieroglyphs that signify royalty. It is a powerful symbol representing the pharaoh's name and authority, meant to protect and immortalize them. We see this same form echo through time in the mandorlas enveloping figures of Christ in medieval art. Consider how the oval shape, whether in a pharaoh's cartouche or a saint's halo, serves as a vessel of memory and cultural continuity, each era imbuing it with new layers of meaning. The subconscious longing for protection and permanence drives the enduring appeal of these forms. This cyclical progression of symbols, resurfacing, evolving, and taking on new meanings in vastly different historical contexts speaks to our collective unconscious, revealing a profound connection between past and present.