Wednesday, May 30, 2007

A century of making replicas

http://www.algomhuria.net.eg/gazette/1/
"The Art Revival Centre (ARC) affiliated to the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) was established more than 100 years ago to prepare drawings of Egyptian antiquities and make replicas of artefacts that are on display in the Egyptian Museum.
The replicas, which are used as marketing tools to promote tourism at fairs in Egypt and abroad, are made by local artists. Replicas of antiquities are faithful to the original, even with the defects of the original item. The first step in making a reproduction involves producing a mould in plaster of Paris. When the copy is completed, it is painted in the same colours as the original. A coating of oils mixed with oxides is applied in order to make the copy look almost identical to the original, experts explain.Prices of copies vary according to the size and materials used. Pricing is done by a committee of the SCA. The ARC gives lectures on archaeology to schools, where it sets up small-scale displays of replicas of antiquities."
This is the enitre post on the Egyptian Gazette website.

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