The Book of Kells

Trinity College Library, ​Dublin




Ireland's greatest historical treasure, included in 2011 in UNESCO's Memory of the World, this breathtaking illuminated manuscritpt is probably the most renowned of them all.

According to Wikipedia: "The Book of Kells (Latin: Codex Cenannensis; Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais; Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. [58], sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels  together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Britain or Ireland and may have had contributions from various Columban institutions from both Britain and Ireland. It is believed to have been created c. 800 AD. 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 is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as one of Ireland's finest national treasures. The manuscript takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, which was its home for centuries.

The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasise the themes of the major illustrations.

The manuscript today comprises 340 leaves or folios; the recto and verso of each leaf total 680 pages. Since 1953, it has been bound in four volumes. The leaves are high-quality calf vellum; the unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation that covers them includes ten full-page illustrations and text pages that are vibrant with decorated initials and interlinear miniatures, marking the furthest extension of the anti-classical and energetic qualities of Insular art. The Insular majuscule script of the text appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The lettering is in iron gall ink, and the colours used were derived from a wide range of substances, some of which were imported from distant lands
."


Folio 7v: La Virgen y el Niño. Folio 8r: Breves causae de Mateo I-III

Ireland's greatest historical treasure, included in 2011 in UNESCO's Memory of the World, this breathtaking illuminated manuscritpt is probably the most renowned of them all.

According to Wikipedia: "The Book of Kells (Latin: Codex Cenannensis; Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais; Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. [58], sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels  together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Britain or Ireland and may have had contributions from various Columban institutions from both Britain and Ireland. It is believed to have been created c. 800 AD. 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 is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as one of Ireland's finest national treasures. The manuscript takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, which was its home for centuries.

The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasise the themes of the major illustrations.

The manuscript today comprises 340 leaves or folios; the recto and verso of each leaf total 680 pages. Since 1953, it has been bound in four volumes. The leaves are high-quality calf vellum; the unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation that covers them includes ten full-page illustrations and text pages that are vibrant with decorated initials and interlinear miniatures, marking the furthest extension of the anti-classical and energetic qualities of Insular art. The Insular majuscule script of the text appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The lettering is in iron gall ink, and the colours used were derived from a wide range of substances, some of which were imported from distant lands
."




Descripcion

Description

The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin


✵ Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. [58].
✵ Date: c. 800.
✵ Provenance: Columban monasteries in Ireland, Scotland and England.
✵ Size: ± 325 x 245 mm.
✵ 680 pages.
✵ Bound in white leather. Accompanying black case decorated with Celtic motifs and silver and brass mounts.
✵ Commentary volume with 407 pages by Umberto Eco. Authors: J.J. Alexander, Anthony Cains, Geraóid MacNiocaill, Patrick McGurk and Bernhard Meehan.

First edition, strictly limited to 1480 numbered and authenticated copies.



The Book of Kells

The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
The Book of Kells Trinity College Library, ​Dublin
Trinity College Library, ​Dublin

Description

✵ Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. [58].
✵ Date: c. 800.
✵ Provenance: Columban monasteries in Ireland, Scotland and England.
✵ Size: ± 325 x 245 mm.
✵ 680 pages.
✵ Bound in white leather. Accompanying black case decorated with Celtic motifs and silver and brass mounts.
✵ Commentary volume with 407 pages by Umberto Eco. Authors: J.J. Alexander, Anthony Cains, Geraóid MacNiocaill, Patrick McGurk and Bernhard Meehan.

First edition, strictly limited to 1480 numbered and authenticated copies.

Pictures

Details

Ireland's greatest historical treasure, included in 2011 in UNESCO's Memory of the World, this breathtaking illuminated manuscritpt is probably the most renowned of them all.

According to Wikipedia: "The Book of Kells (Latin: Codex Cenannensis; Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais; Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. [58], sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels  together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Britain or Ireland and may have had contributions from various Columban institutions from both Britain and Ireland. It is believed to have been created c. 800 AD. 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 is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as one of Ireland's finest national treasures. The manuscript takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, which was its home for centuries.

The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasise the themes of the major illustrations.

The manuscript today comprises 340 leaves or folios; the recto and verso of each leaf total 680 pages. Since 1953, it has been bound in four volumes. The leaves are high-quality calf vellum; the unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation that covers them includes ten full-page illustrations and text pages that are vibrant with decorated initials and interlinear miniatures, marking the furthest extension of the anti-classical and energetic qualities of Insular art. The Insular majuscule script of the text appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The lettering is in iron gall ink, and the colours used were derived from a wide range of substances, some of which were imported from distant lands
."

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