Cartouche of Sety I from his Tomb

Painted limestone. New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, 1293-1185 B.C. Valley of the Kings. When Belzoni discovered it, Sety’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings was almost pristine. Its carved and brightly painted walls were a magnet for tourists and scholars. Visitors took plaster casts of the walls, stripping them of their paint; their torches left black smoke stains on the walls; and museums and private individuals took hundreds of permanent souvenirs in the form of pieces of carving, like this cartouche.