The Book of Kells is a manuscript of the four New Testament Gospels that was created c. 800 CE at the Iona Abbey in Ireland. The book, written in Latin, was first used as a manuscript to be read aloud during church services at the abbey (Mark). However, Ireland now places much of its historical identity in the Book of Kells, that is not due to the wonderful Latin writing, but due to the beautiful, intricate illuminations that fill this manuscript.
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Image from the Book of Kells representing the arrest of Jesus Christ (ChurchPop)
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Imagine drawing 158 intertwined knots, now imagine drawing those 158 knots in a space of paper that is one square inch. Take that process back even farther, and imagine grating a specific rock, or squeezing the blood out of a pregnant beetle of a specific species in order to attain the color needed to draw those knots. That project alone would likely take half a day to complete. However that is the painstaking detail the Iona monks took in creating what has been referred to as "the work of an angel, not of a man" (Mark). In observing the Book of Kells one cannot help but admire the detail of the beautiful and colorful artwork that fill its pages. Using squirrel hair brushes and bread chunk erasers the monks who created this manuscript created images of uncanny symmetry and color in order to illuminate the stories of Jesus Christ (Mark). But not only the significance and quality of the work gives the Book of Kells the Irish pride that it represents, but the images reflect the people. Notice the image of Jesus Christ with blonde hair and the large red beard, or the four Evangelists, even if they are depicted as creatures, having properties of Celtic descent.
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The four Evangelists depicted in the Book of Kells (Mark)
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The Book of Kells represents the widespread monastic literature that became so relative c. 800 CE and depicts the dedication of the monks serving in abbeys across Europe. In 806 CE the Iona Abbey was raided by Vikings who killed 68 monks in the attack, showing the beginning of a new era in Irish history (Trinity). We can only hope that of those monks who died, it was not one of the four 'angels' who wrote, or drew, this manuscript. The Book of Kells can be found today at the Trinity College Library in Dublin. There lays the beautiful manuscript representing Irish pride, detail, and Christianity, all in its native land.
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It's crazy to think of how much effort was required to even gather the supplies to make the book itself, never mind the incredibly intricate artwork! The blood of a pregnant beetle? How did they decide this was the best option (let alone even a option)? It would be interesting to see the trial and errors that were involved in making this book. Nevertheless, it is an amazing piece of art and history that really demonstrates the craftsmanship and devotion of the monks.
ReplyDeleteCole, this was a great post! I remember talking about the Book of Kells in class, but I am glad you went into even more detail on this artifact. It is crazy to me that they were able to draw 158 knots in one square inch. This is an impressive summary of an interesting artifact.
ReplyDeleteI am really interested in the Celtic history and artifacts and I think this was a really good choice for an artifact. I like that you detailed how many knots there were in one square inch of paper, thats a pretty intricate detail. I also didnt't know that they used squirrel hair brushes, that's an interesting fact.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lauren, squirrel hair brushes and bread erasers is a fabulous and memorable detail.
DeleteThough we went over this artifact in class, I am glad you wrote about it because I never would have known they used squirrel hair brushes or bread chunk erasers! Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing! I cannot believe they were able to use such techniques in the 9th century. I'm wondering how long did it take to complete the book and how many people worked on it in order to finish the whole book?
ReplyDeleteTalk about tedious work! My hand starts cramping after about a minute or two of writing I could not imagine having to do all that work.
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