The decorative arts world has many “squishy” and vague vocabulary words, but few are “squishier” and vaguer than cartouche. Originally, the term comes from Egyptology and is used to describe a oval enclosing hieroglyphics and having a horizontal line at one end. (The line denotes royalty.) The oval had significance not unlike that of a closed circle, in that it was believed that an oval around a person’s name provided protection to that person. The strong association with the god-like royalty of ancient Egypt and the “good luck charm” nature of the symbol meant that it was eventually co-opted by the rest of the population and, as a result, it appears on all manner of structures and objects from the era.

Centuries later, when Egypt was a land divided constantly by conflicts, soldiers, seeing these ovals everywhere, are said to have found them to resemble the paper cartridges used in muskets. The French word for cartridge is cartouche and thus it became, in its original use, the term applied to this particular hieroglyphic element.

A Civil War-era example of a paper cartridge. (p4A item # D9865000)

Sterling silver vase with blank cartouche. (p4A item # E8906323)

The Moche or Mochica people were a pre-Columbian culture that occupied the northern coast of Peru and the Moche River valley from around 100 B.C. to 800 A.D. Also sometimes referred to as the Early, Pre- or Proto-Chimu, Moche refers to the river they lived near, while Mochica is a Chimuan language (although there is no evidence that it is the language the Moche spoke). The Moche lived at the same time as the Nazca or Nasca people, and the following dominant cultures were the Chimu and Huari.

While we don’t yet understand the organizational nature of their culture, the Moche were known for their skills in building, pottery and metal-working. Adobe brick examples of temples, pyramids and aqueducts survive, as well as numerous pieces of pottery, many with molded figural decoration. They also put a great deal of effort into an irrigation system that diverted water from the Moche River. Numerous archaeological sites remain, including the Huaca del Sol and the Huaca de la Luna.

Moche pottery is amazingly diverse, but it is also evident that they were using molds to create pieces. The pottery of the Moche has relatively simple color decoration, the normal range of red and yellow earthtones with some black and white accents, and the subject matter is varied, depicting figures occupied with the activities of their lives; sex, war, weaving, etc.

A Moche pottery vessel with colorful decoration. (p4A item # D9925253)

Archaeological evidence also suggests that the Moche participated in human sacrifice, and many decorations include a figure historians have dubbed ‘The Decapitator’, a ferocious-looking deity-like figure that is usually shown holding a knife in one hand and a human head in the other.

A detail of the ‘Decapitator’ from a Moche gold emblem. A closer look reveals a curved knife in the hand on the left and a head in the hand on the right.(p4A item # D9924472)

As is the case with many pre-Columbian cultures, little is known of what brought about the demise of the Moche. Some research indicates a difficult environmental period with weather disturbances that would have threatened the Moche way of life, while others believe that conflicts within the culture led to groups drifting apart and resettling in other areas in smaller communities, maybe even becoming part of the later Chimu culture.

“Vermeil” is a French word co-opted by the English in the 19th century for a silver gilt process. Vermeil is a combination of silver and gold, although other precious metals are also occasionally added, that is then gilded onto a sterling silver object. The reddish (vermilion) hue of the addition of the gold gives the product its name. Vermeil is commonly found in jewelry, and a standard of quality (10 karat gold) and thickness (1.5 micrometers) has been set.

Vermeil was initially created through fire or mercury gilding, a technique developed in the 18th century, which requires the application of a solution of mercury nitrate to the object and then the application of a silver and gold/mercury amalgam. In order for the gilding to adhere to the surface, the coated object is placed in a kiln and exposed to extreme temperatures, which burns away the mercury. (This is similar to the technique used to produce ormolu, a form of gold-gilt.) As a result of the intense and prolonged exposure to mercury, it has been estimated that most mercury gilders died before the age of 40. Mechanical or chemical gilding techniques were largely replaced by electroplating by the mid-19th century, and the process was banned in many countries in the mid-1800s.

The White House has a room known as the Vermeil Room, so named for a collection of vermeil tableware.

A Gorham sterling silver compote with vermeil interior – note the reddish hue. (p4A item # D9827145)

Cartonnage is the term for layers of fibers, most often linen and papyrus, mixed with a plaster that could be shaped or molded while wet, almost like a papier-mache process that uses whole sections of fibers rather than the pulped or shredded paper used with papier-mache. In ancient Egypt, this technique was used in the funerary process to create masks, paneled sections or even complete cases to cover the body, which would have been mummified and wrapped before this application. After the plaster surface dried and hardened, it offered artists a smooth, fresh surface for their delicate painted decorations.

A cartonnage mummy mask from the Ptolemaic Period. (p4A item # A076668)

A cartonnage fragment depicting the Goddess Nut, from the Ptolemaic Period. (p4A item # A054540)

Hollie Davis, Senior p4A Editor, July 10, 2009

Small celts were used as skinning tools. Larger examples could have been used as small chopping devices, like a small ax. Sizes can vary greatly, and they can be made out of slate or granite. They would correctly be classified as tools, as would a stone ax or hammer.

Reference note by p4A editorial staff, November 2011.