Sarah Bennett

Art History
11/25/13
The Book of Kells
There are many famous illustrated manuscripts from the early Christian era but none as
elaborate and well nown as The Boo of !ells" This boo is a recreation of the four #ospel boos
found in the Christian bible and is about 12$$ years old if not older" %t is written in &atin and illustrated
on throu#hout its pa#es with Celtic Christian themed artwor"
'urin# the early days of Christianity( monasteries were sprin#in# up all throu#hout the re#ions
of %reland( )n#land and Scotland" %t was the mons of these monasteries that created the boos of the
time by main# copies of pre*ious boos or newly illustrated boos of reli#ious material" The Boo of
!ells was no e+ception( but it,s history is widely unnown" There is no mention of the Boo of !ells
until the 12$$,s when records tell of a #reat #ospel boo bein# stolen" %t was reco*ered later but it was
missin# its hi#hly *aluable and elaborately decorated metal co*er" The co*er was ne*er reco*ered from
the theft"
%t is belie*ed to ha*e been written around -$$ C) be#innin# at an abbey on the %sland of %ona
near Scotland" Thou#h there is some debate on this with some sayin# it could ha*e be#un in Scotland
or other areas of .orthern )n#land" )ither way( durin# this period /iin#s had be#un raidin# on the
small *illa#es of the British %sles" The monasteries were an easy tar#et for these raids and it is belie*ed
that %ona( where the boo was bein# created( was attaced in the /iin# raid of -$0 C) alon# with
surroundin# areas" The mons of the monastery fled to the Abbey of !ells in %reland( brin#in# the boo
with them" There it was finally completed and from which it #ained its name" The boo remained at the
Abbey of !ells until 1511" Then in 1001( the Bishop of 2eath( presented it to the library of Trinity
Colle#e 'ublin where it is housed to this day on display to the public as a national treasure"
'urin# the time frame of the Boo of !ells( there was no such thin# as a modern printin# press
as the first press wasn,t in*ented until centuries later" This means that the entire boo had to be done by
hand" The authors and artists who constructed the boo are unnown and debated amon# scholars as
in*ol*in# anywhere from three to si+ mons to create the illustrated pa#es" )ach mon had their own
assi#ned 3ob within illustratin# the manuscript" 4ne may ha*e been in char#e of layin# out the te+t
while another put in the detailed ima#ery that bordered it" 4thers may ha*e been in char#e of a full
pa#e" %t can be #uessed at the number of scribes due to the layout and o*erall composition of the pa#es
and their artwor as each mon had his own style of creatin# pa#es they were in char#e of desi#nin#"
4ne of these illustrators was e*en #i*en a nicname of the 5oldsmith by art historians for his
fa*oritism for addin# yellow pi#ments that mimic #old"
The artwor in the Boo of !ells is astonishin#" .ot only are there such fine details within the
Celtic nots( borders and portraits( but the colors are *ibrant" There is a wide use of colors found within
the boo that was painted onto the *ellum pa#es by the artists" )*erythin# from red( blue( #reen( blac(
yellow( purple and more can be seen within the painted wors in the boo" This emphases on color is
one of the ma3or eye catchin# parts of the illustrations and was created by the use of many different
pi#ments from local sources to some from thousands of miles away" Bri#ht yellow was created by
orpiment and was used for creatin# an effect of fau+ #old within the ima#es" The blue pi#ment(
ori#inally belie*ed to ha*e been lapis la6uli( is now considered to be from indi#o or woad which is
nati*e to .orthern )urope" 4ther pi#ments are unnown e*en with today,s ad*ances in technolo#y"
4ne thin# that the Boo of !ells is famous for is the intricate artwor which a lar#e portion of
is Celtic in ori#in" )ternity nots( triselos and tri7uetras are 3ust a few of the desi#ns found within"
This style of art was inspired by the pre*ious metalworin# and stone car*in#s created durin# the pre8
Christian British world" 2any of the pa#es found in the Boo of !ells #reatly resembles the art of
detailed #oldsmithin# e*en to the point of usin# bri#ht yellow pi#ments to recreate an effect of #old
leafin# upon the pa#es" Some are so detailed it is thou#ht the artists used 7uart6 crystals as a
ma#nifyin# #lass to wor on the complicated ima#es"
'epictions of animals are combined within these complicated interlacin# nots( many e*en
ha*in# not wored bodies" Some add a sense of humor to the te+t such as a cat chasin# a mouse
amon# the te+t of a pa#e" 4ther animals included within the illustrations are fish( otters( moths( do#s
and mythical animals interpretations of the 9our )*an#elists" :ith the Boo of !ells bein# the 9our
#ospel boos( it only seems natural for it to contain portraits" The Boo of !ells contains portraits of
the Christ( the /ir#in 2ary and the four e*an#elists; 2ar( 2athew( &ue and <ohn" There are also
smaller portraits of people mi+ed in not desi#ned to to represent anyone in particular and are merely
added in for decoration or filler" Se*eral of these portraits were created from combined styles of other
areas outside of Britain such as from the By6antine and /iin# cultures"
The ma3ority of the 0-$ pa#es of the boo are simply 3ust te+t done in a insular ma3uscule or
half8uncial style" There are only about 3$ pa#es that are fully illustrated within the boo that are
focused upon when discussin# the art found within the Boo of !ells" The remainin# te+t still has a
more calli#raphic art to it that is stunnin# when nown it was all written by hand as compared to
modern printmain#" Smaller ima#es are used to fill in #aps and add *isual stimuli to the te+t of pa#es
in the same manner that many other illustrated manuscripts of pre*ious years had" %n fact( much of the
emphasi6ed lead letter of the pa#es or bordered ed#in# come from these other scripts created by mons
lie that of the Boo of 'urrow and the &indisfarne 5ospel"
Boos lie the Boo of 'urrow and the &indisfarne 5ospel were also nown for ha*in#
lu+urious boo co*ers outside ha*in# beautifully scribed te+t in which many were made from metal" %t
is nown that the boo of !ells had its co*er stolen as pre*iously mentioned" 2any scholars today
thin this co*er was made from #old and crafted with Celtic styled #oldsmithed artwor much lie
what is found within the boo alon# with #ems embeded into it complete the o*erall appearance of the
co*er" %t wasn,t uncommon for the mons to also now how to create metalworin# pieces" 4ne can
only ima#ine its distinct beauty it must ha*e had"
:ell illustrated manuscripts( such as the boo of !ells( were not #enerally made to be daily
reli#ious scripts and this is e*ident beyond its possible #olden co*er" They were more for display in
churches and monasteries for the patrons" This is apparent in the fact that in many of these boos they
are not perfect e+cept in ima#ery" 9or e+ample( in the Boo of !ells( on some pa#es words ha*e been
omitted( passa#es repeated and pa#es are missin# in comparison to the table of contents that is found in
the be#innin# of the boo" These mistaes or careless features show that it could not be used as a
functional #ospel boo" Today the boo is e*en less functional as o*er the years in the medie*al period
and later at least 3$ folios ended up missin# from the boo"
4utside of errors( another hint that it was done more for show as a ceremonial piece than actual
daily reli#ious use is that on some pa#es the te+t is actually hidden within the illustrations" This may
ha*e been done so that only nowled#eable members of Christianity could truly fi#ure out where the
te+t was( lie an ad*anced *ersion of an =% Spy> boo( but this wasn,t limited to 3ust the te+t either"
There are many pieces of symbolism thrown about in the artwor of the Boo of !ells" These ima#es
would only be understood to those who were adept in Christian lore( meanin# and &atin lan#ua#e"
The Boo of !ells has influenced many modern artwors and will continue to do so" %n fact( it
is a priced resource into the Celtic forms of art" This is due to many of the metal worin#s( in which the
art of the Boo of !ells( ha*in# been desi#ned after are lar#ely lost from the metal bein# recycled into
new pro3ects" 4ther illustrated manuscripts ha*e also been used to loo into the older artwor styles in
similar ways" These ha*e left us with modern themed Celtic artwor that is lar#ely based on these
boos and especially the Boo of !ells" ?ou can now buy Celtic not wor calendars( 3ournals( pattern
boos and much more that are striin#ly similar to the elaborate wors found in the Boo of !ells" ?ou
almost can,t loo up celtic artwor without it ha*in# a bac#round that comes from the boo"
There is e*en a featured film about the Boo of !ells done in a fantasy style that #oes into the
boo,s main# in a mythical way" This animated mo*ie( named The Secret of !ells( is filled with lush
artwors styled in twistin# Celtic nots hidden throu#hout the bac#rounds in the scenes with hints at
pre8Christian follore that were common at the time of the boos creation" This film e*en discusses the
issues of /iin# attacs upon the abbeys of %reland and that of %ona" :hile a fictional mo*ie( it was
indeed inspired by the true history of the boo as well as the artwor as it was a film with art unlie any
others"
The Boo of !ells( is unlie any other e+istin# illustrated manuscript that has been sa*ed
throu#hout time" %t,s history and artwor are uni7ue and inspirin#" To many it is considered the
masterpiece of them all as it too elements of the pre*ious manuscripts and went that e+tra step farther"
%t truly is a #reat boo and will continue to be so for centuries lon#er"