The Book of Kells

by Bernard Meehan

Hardcover, 2012

Status

Available

Call number

745.670941822

Publication

Thames & Hudson (2012), Edition: Slp, 256 pages

Description

The Book of Kells, dating from about 800 CE, is a beautifully decorated manuscript of the four Gospels. This official guide by the former Keeper of Manuscripts at the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, where the Book of Kells is on permanent display, provides fascinating insights into one of the greatest surviving examples of medieval art. The illustrations in this guide include striking reproductions of complete pages, and details that reveal the astounding intricacy and richness of the decoration. The Book of Kells is explored through its historical background; its structure; its decorative elements, including its use of symbols and themes; the scribes and artists who worked on the manuscript; and the tools and pigments used in its creation.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Othemts
A quick but academic read about the illuminated manuscripts copied by monks in ancient Ireland. Luckily it is heavily illustrated to avoid my head spinning from the frequent use of language specific to the trade of manuscript studies
LibraryThing member Iskandar_LT
I and Pangur Bán my cat
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will
He too plies his simple skill.
Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen
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thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.
'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.
Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.
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LibraryThing member bcrowl399
This was a difficult book to read at first. Then I got the hang of the abbreviations and citations and it became clearer. I am in awe of the Kells. The artistry, the colors, the intricacy, the mystery of the kells is enticing. You can look at them for hours and see something new every moment. The
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are the "work, not of men, but of angels."
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1994

Physical description

13.3 inches

ISBN

0500238944 / 9780500238943
Page: 0.2486 seconds