Xaar Ensures Ancient Egyptian Book Goes On Show

The Book of the Dead of Ramose, reputed to be one of the finest examples of an ancient coloured document in the world, can be seen in an exhibition being sponsored by Xaar.

The Xaar-sponsored exhibition will be staged at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (UK), where the 3,000 year-old document will provide the highlight.

The Book of the Dead of Ramose comprises papyrus sheets originally forming a 20-metre roll and it will be unveiled on today and displayed until September 21.

Visitors will have the rare opportunity to view one of the finest and most recently restored Egyptian Books of the Dead in existence, added Xaar.

The company said that The Book of the Dead of Ramose, who was a high official who lived in the 12th Century BC, was discovered in 1921 by the archaeologist Flinders Petrie in the entrance to a tomb at Sedment in Egypt.

Its frail and fragmentary condition has prevented it from being seen since it was excavated more than 80 years ago.

Thanks to a conservation and investigation project at the Fitzwilliam Museum, the papyrus will now be on display for a short time only to preserve the vivid colours, allowing visitors a rare insight in to the Egyptian world of the dead .

Julie Dawson, co-curator of the exhibition and senior assistant leeper (conservation) in the antiquities department at the Fitzwilliam Museum, said: "One of the most striking features of the Ramose papyrus is the vibrancy of colours used in the painted scenes.

It feels particularly appropriate that a company whose primary concern is with colour printing should be involved with this project." And Helen Strudwick, co-curator and outreach officer (ancient Egypt) at the museum, added: "The technical expertise of the Egyptian artists who worked on this papyrus was outstandingly high.

Xaar has provided invaluable sponsorship towards an exhibition that allows us to bring this beautiful document before the public after two years of conservation work." Nigel Berry finance director at Xaar, explained: "Xaar's sponsorship of this exhibition nicely illustrates the juxtaposition of our extraordinary high-speed inkjet printing innovation in the 21st Century with the lengthy, manual dexterity that was required to produce the stunning hieroglyphs in the 12th Century BC.

In these modern times we spend a great deal of time looking forward and it is sobering to look back occasionally at the considerable challenges faced by our ancestors.

This is Xaar's way of investing in the past as well as in the future." The conservation project has been made possible by the support of The Getty Foundation, The Heritage Lottery Fund, The Newton Trust and The Aurelius Charitable Trust.

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