![]() Traditionally, the book was thought to have been created in the time of Columba, possibly even as the work of his own hands. The manuscript's date and place of production have been the subject of considerable debate. The name Book of Kells is derived from the Abbey of Kells in Kells, County Meath, which was its home for much of the medieval period. (For a more complete list of related manuscripts, see: List of Hiberno-Saxon illustrated manuscripts). Compare, for example, the incipit pages of the Gospel of Matthew in the Lindisfarne Gospels and in the Book of Kells, both of which feature intricate decorative knot work patterns inside the outlines formed by the enlarged initial letters of the text. For example, the form of the decorated letters found in the incipit pages for the Gospels is surprisingly consistent in Insular Gospels. ![]() The Book of Kells follows many of the iconographic and stylistic traditions found in these earlier manuscripts. The fully developed style of the ornamentation of the Book of Kells places it late in this series, either from the late 8th or early 9th century. Scholars place these manuscripts together based on similarities in artistic style, script, and textual traditions. Gall Gospel Book belongs to the late 8th century and the Book of Armagh (dated to 807–809) to the early 9th century. From the early 8th century come the Durham Gospels, the Echternach Gospels, the Lindisfarne Gospels (see illustration at right), and the Lichfield Gospels. Columba, the Ambrosiana Orosius, fragmentary Gospel in the Durham Dean and Chapter Library (all from the early 7th century), and the Book of Durrow (from the second half of the 7th century). These manuscripts include the Cathach of St. The Book of Kells is one of the finest and most famous of a group of manuscripts in what is known as the Insular style, produced from the late 6th through the early 9th centuries in monasteries in Ireland, Scotland and England and in continental monasteries with Hiberno-Scottish or Anglo-Saxon foundations. Compare this page with the corresponding page from the Book of Kells (see here), especially the form of the Lib monogram. The Library usually displays two of the current four volumes at a time, one showing a major illustration and the other showing typical text pages, and the entire manuscript can be viewed on the Library's Digital Collections Repository.įolio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels contains the incipit Liber generationis of the Gospel of Matthew. ![]() Today, it is on permanent display at Trinity College Library, Dublin. The manuscript takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, which was its home for centuries. The lettering is in iron gall ink, and the colours used were derived from a wide range of substances, many of which were imports from distant lands. The Insular majuscule script of the text itself appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The leaves are on high-quality calf vellum, and the unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation that covers them includes ten full-page illustrations and text pages that are vibrant with decorated initials and interlinear miniatures and mark the furthest extension of the anti-classical and energetic qualities of Insular art. The manuscript today comprises 340 folios and, since 1953, has been bound in four volumes. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasise the themes of the major illustrations. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. ![]() The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. ![]() The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It was created in a Columban monastery in Ireland or may have had contributions from various Columban institutions from both Britain and Ireland. , sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. The Book of Kells (Latin: Codex Cenannensis Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. Book of Kells Scene: Christ Monogram, Initials ![]()
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