Gallery – Ankh Altar Cloth

Ankh Altar Cloth with Sun Disc, Feathered Wings and Papyrus Flower Details - Ankh Altar Cloth with Attributes - Hand Printed with Hand Carved Lino Stamp and Hand Painted Gold Details

Ankh Altar Cloth with Sun Disc, Feathered Wings and Papyrus Flower Details - Full Cloth with Repeat Pattern - Hand Printed with Hand Carved Lino Stamp and Hand Painted Gold Details

Ankh Altar Cloth

The Ankh is an Ancient Egyptian symbol which represents life. It is often portrayed together with the Egyptian Gods, especially Anubis who is the God of Mummification and the Afterlife. I chose to combine the design for my ankh with my favourite elements of Egyptian art: Wings, the Papyrus Flower and the Sun Disc.
In their own way these elements each have connections to the ankh and the theme of life:
-Isis turned into a bird and embraced her dead husband Osiris with her wings to bring him back to life
-the papyrus plant grows by the bountiful Nile which brings fertility to the land
-the Sun is associated with the Scarab God Khepri who is the god of birth and rebirth

This cotton cloth was printed with a hand carved Ankh stamp multiple times to create a repeated pattern. I then hand painted gold detailing on the turquoise blue ankhs using gold coloured textile paint. One side of this cloth has the printed and painted ankhs. The other side of the cloth is plain unprinted gold coloured poly-satin.