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cartonnage

cartonnage

1 9.9
A strong material made from layers of linen or papyrus glued together and painted for Egyptian coffins and masks
  • noun
  • /kɑːrˈtɒnɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
: cartonaje
  • The cartonnage found in the tomb contained intricate designs and inscriptions.

Examples

  • Archaeologists discovered a beautifully decorated cartonnage mask at the burial site.

  • The ancient Egyptians used cartonnage to create elaborate coffins for their pharaohs.

  • ICE seized the cartonnages and has begun the process of

    Blog text (19)
  • No passage longer than thirty lines is quoted from him, and papyrus scraps (still being found: the most recent fragments were recovered from cartonnage in Egypt in 1977) withhold as much as they tell.

    Academic text (1995)

Surface Forms

cartonnage singular
cartonnages plural

Etymology

The word cartonnage comes from the French carton, meaning 'cardboard' and originally 'paper'. Ancient Egyptian makers glued layers of papyrus or linen into a stiff board, so cartonnage is like an ancient 'cardboard' used for coffins and masks.