The art of faking it

For those suffering from Egyptomania, the Centre for Reviving Ancient Egyptian Art offers high quality replicas of Pharaonic antiquities, writes Reham El-Adawi
In Europe, if you have longed for a Renoir or Degas dancers adjusting their shoes, you can find superb replicas for relatively low prices. With photographic reproduction and digital images being crafted by Microsoft, paintings have become cheaper and more available.
Caught up in the bewitching world of hieroglyphics, animal-headed gods, obelisks and sarcophagi, people around the world are increasingly interested in possessing objects of Pharaonic antiquity. To meet the demand, the Egyptian Documentation Centre was established back in the 1960s, one section of it devoted to casting moulds of reliefs, busts and statues.
This was the decade that saw the UNESCO- sponsored Salvage of Nubia operations on the eve of the construction of the High Dam. At that time the centre recorded every aspect of the work of the teams of international scholars involved in documenting, dismantling, and relocating threatened monuments, burial grounds and urban settlements. Casting moulds of some of the treasures in the Egyptian Museum and opening up a centre in the museum garden was one of their lesser tasks, but was nevertheless conducted at a highly professional level.
The artisans were granted scholarships to study in Japan, where they learned the most updated techniques of casting, using polyester and polyethylene in place of gypsum. The objects they produced were marketed in the museum, and at various outlets in Egypt's main hotels.
Today the centre has expanded and is affiliated to the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Now known as the Centre for Reviving Ancient Egyptian Art, it is located in Zamalek and has been expanded to include several sections, among them the casting of statues, making moulds, finishing, colouring, ceramic work and stained glass production. According to director George Ghoubrial, replicating Pharaonic objects is not their only task. Graeco-Roman, Coptic and Islamic pieces are also produced.
Certain criteria are strictly followed in imitating an original work. "A replica," Ghoubrial said, "should differ from the original in size, material or weight." The artisans use silicone in making moulds, which is a highly sensitive medium and gives much better results than gypsum. The pieces are then cast in polyester and painted.
Around 80 copyists and artisans work at the centre, imitating statues and reliefs as well as one-dimensional works such as frescoes and Coptic icons. The latter were added to the repertoire some 15 years ago. A copyist can spend up to two months replicating a chosen icon from an original in the Coptic Museum to produce a very convincing likeness. The market price ranges from LE500 to LE1,500, depending on the intricacy of the image and the size of the icon.
Ten years ago, the centre turned its attention to fresco painting, which requires a highly competent and sensitive artisan who uses colours as close as possible to those used by his ancestors.
The biggest demand is for replicas of Pharaonic objects such as the so-called Seated Scribe, and statues and busts of Anubis, Nefertari, Cleopatra, Horus and Akhenaten. Tomb reliefs are also popular, especially those of the nobleman Ramose and of Ramses II. Prices, depending on size and the work involved, range between a mere LE10 and LE15,000.
One of the largest and most striking achievements of the centre is the huge statue of Ramses II reproduced in artificial stone on the highway leading to Cairo Airport. Just completed is a replica of Pharaoh Merenptah's famous Triumph Stele from an original in the Egyptian Museum. The replica, 165-centimetres wide, three metres high and 32-centimetres deep, has been taken to Luxor to stand at the mortuary temple of this Pharaoh on the Theban necropolis. It was unveiled last month by President Hosni Mubarak.
Ghoubrial told Al-Ahram Weekly that the ceramics section, which produced mainly Islamic pieces, would have Graeco-Roman pottery pieces ready for sale within a couple of months.
Apart from replicas, the centre also designs site plans which are placed in museums and sightseeing locations such as the Salaheddin Citadel. Several new such plans are currently being prepared for the temples in Luxor and Aswan, including Kalabsha.
The centre's sale outlets are spreading throughout Egypt. In Cairo alone the reproductions can be bought at the Egyptian Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the Islamic Museum, Khufu's Solar Boat Museum and the Gayer Anderson Museum. In Alexandria they are available at the Graeco-Roman Museum and the Jewellery Museum. In Aswan they are at the Nubia Museum and other outlets in the city. This is in addition to other venues in Luxor, Rashid, Al-Wadi Al-Gedid, Beni Suef and Mallawi. A new outlet at Abu Simbel is underway.
Practical Information
The Centre for Reviving Ancient Egyptian Art is on 3, Al-Adel Abu Bakr Street, Zamalek, immediately behind the Zamalek telephone exchange. The opening hours and holidays of all outlets are the same as in the museums.
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