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The Book of Kells
The Book of Kells is one of
Ireland's best-known attractions. It is currently housed in the Long
Room
of the Old Library in Trinity College, Dublin. The Book is an illuminated
manuscript, which means it was written and illustrated by hand
and exquisitely adorned with color. The text consists of the four
gospels of the New Testament, written in Latin.
While much
research has been undertaken on the book, surprisingly little is know
about its origins.
Historians have speculated that it was written by St Columba's monks
on the island of Iona, off the
coast of Scotland, around 797AD to mark the second centenary of his
death. This however is far from certain. In 805, Iona was the plundered
by Viking raiders. While the manuscript survived this particular threat,
the gold and silver binding in which it was probably set, was stolen
by the raiders, who in all likelihood melted it down to make coins.
The fleeing monks probably sailed back to Ireland, to set up
a new monastery in Kells, and although this was repeatedly plundered
throughout the tenth, this time
at the hands of the Danes, somehow the book survived. It was kept in
the monastery until the
17th century, when fearing for its safety the governor of Kells sent
the book to Trinity College,
to protect it from Cromwell's soldiers.
The pages of the book are made from the skins
of an estimated
185 calves. It's likely that several monasteries pooled their resources,
and shared their calfskins in
making the book. The pigments used come from variety of sources, and
the geographical spread of
sources, point to a fairly sophisticated trade system being used by
the monks. While many of the
pigments were made using locally available materials, some of the ingredients
came from sources such
as pregnant Mediterranean insects, flowers from northern Europe, and
even precious stones
found only in Afghanistan! But
it is the beauty of the lavish decorations that embellish the text,
which sets the Book of Kells apart from similar manuscripts. The illustrations
number in their thousands,
and range from the elaborated initial letters on each page, to full
page, or 'carpet' illustrations.
The monks drew heavily on animal imagery, lending an almost pagan quality
to the book. Historians
believe that the monks had access to artwork from the east, and the
influences these had on
the illustrations in the book is apparent.
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