Internet Scavenger Hunt: Parchment Reproductions
 

So, here's the challenge. My 30th birthday is coming up, and I know exactly what I want, but I don't know how to find it.

This is a parchement fragment called Rylands P52. It contains a few words from the Gospel of John, and is generally accepted to be the oldest existing text of the new testament, dating from sometime in the mid 2nd century.

I want to find someone to do a high quality reproduction of it, double the original size (the original is about 3 inches across, and about 5 inches long), on similar material. Both sides of the parchment contain script, so it would need to be a double sided reproduction. I'll be framing and displaying it in encased glass with both sides visible. Cost isn't really an issue, but quality is.

So here's my challenge. Can anyone find me someone who does something like this? There are 6 Billion people on the planet, surely I'm not the first to want something like this? I've spent some serious time trying to track down a way to get this done, and I've just about exhausted my line of thinking. I figured the brilliantly creative folks on the Cellar might be able to help me along.

Ladies and Gentlemen (and Lookout), start your engines!

-sm

here's an image, for those who are link-o-phobic

http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/data1/dg/text/frag100.gif

One of my coworkers is an artist and generally unusual kind of guy. He knows the kinds of people who might do such a thing. I've emailed the thread to him, but I probably won't get an answer until he's back from vacation.

Building a golden calf of your own? :eyebrow:

The artist recommends making contact with your closest large city art musuem (or archeological dept of a university) restoration department. Some of those folks might do work on the side.

(Actually he specifically recommended Philadelphia Art Museum or University of Pennsylvania but probably didn't realize you were in Ellay.)

Totally. I worship much better with graven images. :notworthy

Actually, this piece has always fascinated me. I love antiquities, I have a life-long love of John's writing in particular, and having just finished a master's degree spending alot of time in the original languages, this scrap of cloth holds alot of meaning for me.

Wolf, that's a great idea actually. We do have one or two good museums here in LA, I'll see what I can round up.

-sm

Collections of Lingerie and Shoes do not count as museums.

Who are you trying to fool ... we know there is no actual culture in Los Angeles.

The thing that makes that funny is that I'm on my way down to see the Mark Rothko exhibit at MOCA later today. And my wife and I spent our anniversary having dinner at the Getty, which I think is the greatest public spaces building ever created. That, with the new Disney concert hall, LA is having something of a cultural renaissance these days.

And not just pop culture, real live actual culture. I know this suddenly became an "I Love LA" thread, but I find myself rediscovering everything I've loved about this city these days.

The MOCA rocks, too. Last I was there they had a Rothko hanging next to a haunting Munch, I think borrowed from the Getty. Really cool to just look and compare, the colors, the light, the glow. Did you catch the Visual Music exhibit last spring, it was in DC earlier? So amazingly Cool! Synethesia baby.

Also, have you been to the Armand Hammer museum at UCLA? Great way to spend a day. The edge of a Universty museum's temp exhibits + an amazing ongoing exhibition of masterpiece after masterpiece.

As for your hunt, If you cant find a print reproduction from the holding archive/museum, you could work with a skilled, historically accurate, passionate calligrapher.
Maybe try here http://www.societyforcalligraphy.com/members.asp Or at an international society/guild?

good hunting.