Floor 1: Overview - Entry Glass Vestibule
Entry Glass Vestibule: By Artist Larry Kirkland
Overview
A freestanding art-glass window comprised of 16 panes standing 32 feet tall and 13 feet, 5 inches wide defines the entry vestibule to Museum of the Bible. Engraved on the front face of each of the art-glass panes is a translation of Psalm 19 in 16 languages:
- Greek
- Latin
- Syriac
- Hebrew
- Ge’ez
- Coptic
- Swahili
- Arabic
- German
- English
- Spanish
- French
- Chinese
- Russian
- Hindi
- Korean
Artist’s Inspiration
One of the oldest artifacts belonging to Museum of the Bible is a fragment of the Bodmer Papyri. This group of 22 papyri was found in 1952 in Egypt near the ancient headquarters of an order of monks. There are some 50 texts in all, suggesting they were part of the monks’ library. They include religious texts as well as the Iliad by Homer and Greek comedies by Menander.
The fragment owned by Museum of the Bible is written in ancient Greek and contains Psalm 19 from the Hebrew Bible. It begins with, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. … There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” It ends with, “O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Development and Fabrication Process
The text of Psalm 19 was re-created in the art-glass by a combination of glass printing, overpainting and engraving. It was made at Mayer of Munich Glass Works, one of the most renowned art-glass manufacturers in the world.