Book of Kells Illuminations, Hands, and Insular Art
Book of Kells: Illuminations, Hands, and Insular Art
Portrait of each evangelist (appears with human influence) and not a sign above the text. Above the image is the lion who represents Saint Mark.
Book of Kells, c. 800.
Provenance and History
Written by monks from Iona Abbey, founded by Saint Columbanus in the 6th century. It was initially begun by the monks of this abbey. With the Viking invasion (807) they were forced to emigrate to Ireland, to the monastery of Kells, where they continued the work of preparation of the book started in Iona. (They could carry it with them.)
Structure and Contents
Facsimile reconstruction: the book would consist of introductory texts with Hebrew name lists and the canonical tables of Eusebius of Caesarea.
Full Gospel up to 17:13.
The novum opus (a version related to the Vulgate) is lost.
Scribes and Hands
Françoise Henry has identified up to three scribal hands:
- Hand A (pages 1–19, 276–289 and 307): brown ink and 18 to 19 lines per page.
- Hand B (pages 19–26 and 124–128): red, purple, or black ink; variable number of lines per page.
- Hand C (the rest of folios): brown ink and 17 lines per page.
Lowercase forms are used. A comparison of Hand A and Hand B shows differences in the type of writing.
Color and Decoration
Colors preferred in this book are varied and more polychrome than earlier examples: mauve, red, pink, green, blue and yellow. Miniatures are richer and exhibit more personal freedom than in any other Anglo-Irish canonical tables, incipits and other texts.
The decorations include many complete pages. Examples include:
- Three tetramorphs,
- Two evangelist portraits,
- A tapestry page with a cross and eight circles,
- A Virgin and Child,
- Three images of Christ (enthroned, seizure, temptation),
- A large number of small introductory images.
Introduction style: Insular, with horror vacui evident. Figures, scrolls and woven patterns seem to imitate gold within the area.
Canon Tables and Motifs
The canon tables of Eusebius of Caesarea appear in many shapes: Christ depicted riding in various arrangements, two monsters, intertwined bodies and several figures mixed with intertwined motifs.
Incipit—Gospel of Mark: You can link motifs to the world of La Tène (Iron Age II), which also used these variegated, intertwined reasons.
Evangelist Portraits and Incipits
Saint Matthew incipit / Saint John incipit / Portrait of Saint John: These images are often confused with interlace (pages representing the evangelists). Very characteristic are golden curls, solid loops treated nearly the same as scrolls and interlacing.
The Virgin and Byzantine Influence
The Virgin is the oldest Western miniature representation of the Virgin. She is seated on a throne with an attempt at foreshortening of three-quarters. The child has a beard. She is covered with a maphorion (a mantle of Byzantine influence, Syria, 4th century, which appears in representations of the Theotokos).
Representation is schematic yet natural. Decorations show vivid Celtic detail. The Byzantine model uses a transparent halo; the attempt to represent that transparency is difficult in mosaic and results in a schematic halo for the Virgin. Except for these two strongly interpreted Byzantine elements, the rest of the décor is fully Celtic. The throne finishes with an animal head.
Portrait of Christ and Symbolism
Doubtful portrait of Christ: Compared with an evangelist, it resembles the evangelist portraits. It also holds a book, but one detail suggests a representation of Christ on the cross: the head appears as if blessing and is surrounded by angels and seraphim, all within intertwined Celtic loops.
All of this is tied to the Apocalypse: the hidden hand may represent truth not yet revealed. Critics of this hypothesis refer instead to the book that links to the apostles.
Other Miniatures
The Taking: Other figures are clearer. They are represented as Syrian in style. Two are depicted with moustaches; Christ is the central figure. The arch ends in an animal head and the center contains Celtic interlace.
Irish Monumental Sculpture
Types: pillars, carved stones and high crosses.