The Book of Kells: An Illustrated Introduction to the Manuscript in Trinity College, Dublin

by MEEHAN, BERNARD

• ISBN13: 9780500277904
• ISBN10: 0500277907
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-02-17
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Summary

The Book of Kells is a masterpiece of medieval art'”a brilliantly decorated version of the four Gospels with full-page depictions of Christ, the Virgin and the Evangelists as well as a wealth of smaller decorative painting. The strange imagination displayed in the pages, the impeccable technique and the very fine state of preservation make The Book of Kells an object of endless fascination. This edition reproduces the most important of the fully decorated pages plus a series of enlargements showing the almost unbelievable minuteness of the detail; spiral and interlaced patterns, human and animal ornament'”a combination of high seriousness and humor. The text is by Bernard Meehan, the Keeper of Manuscripts at Trinity College, Dublin.

Table of Contents

The Book and its background	p. 9
Decorative influences and parallels	p. 17
The scheme of decoration	p. 22
The purpose of the decoration	p. 29
Decorative themes: the book and the cross	p. 30
Angels	p. 34
The evangelists and their symbols	p. 36
Eucharistic symbolism	p. 44
Christ and his symbols: fish, snake and lion	p. 50
The peacock and the dove	p. 57
Illustrative features in the minor decoration	p. 66
Human figures and activities	p. 68
Minor animal decoration	p. 74
Scribes and artists	p. 78
How long did it take to produce?	p. 85
Vellum	p. 85
Writing materials and pigments	p. 86
Conclusion: 'The secrets of the artistry'	p. 89
Appendix I: Historical Background	p. 90
Appendix II: Losses, additions and Marginalla	p. 92
Notes	p. 93
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