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Book of Kells
Book of Kells. Illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels in Latin, named after the town of Kells in County Meath, Ireland, where it was preserved in the monastery from the 11th century or earlier until the 16th century. It is one of the most famous of all illuminated manuscripts, celebrated for its extraordinary richness of ornamentation, especially in its decorative initial letters, and it is regarded as one of Ireland's greatest national treasures. However, little is known for certain about its origins. According to tradition it is from the time of St Columba (d 597), or is even a work of his own hands, but it is certainly appreciably later (it is now generally dated to about 800). It may have been produced at Kells, but the prevailing scholarly opinion is that it was made (or at least begun) on the island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland, where Columba founded a monastery, and brought to Ireland when the monks of Iona fled from the Vikings in 806. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 the manuscript was in private hands until the 1660s, when it was presented to Trinity College, Dublin, by Bishop Henry Jones of Meath. At the same time he presented another celebrated early manuscript, the Book of Durrow (c.650–80), named after the monastery at Durrow, County Offaly, where it had long been preserved. As with the Book of Kells, its origins are uncertain: Ireland, Iona, and Lindisfarne have variously been suggested as its place of production (see Insular art). It marks the beginning of the idea of building initial letters into whole-page designs, a concept so richly developed in the Book of Kells. See also Celtic art.
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IAN CHILVERS. "Book of Kells." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Book of Kells." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-BookofKells.html IAN CHILVERS. "Book of Kells." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-BookofKells.html |
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Kells, Book of
Kells, Book of (Trinity College Dublin MS 58), a copy of the Gospels in a Latin text based on the Vulgate but intermixed with readings from the Old Latin translation. The Gospels are preceded by prefaces, summaries, and Eusebian canon tables. The book is lavishly decorated with full‐page depictions of the Evangelists and their symbols; portraits of Christ and the Virgin and Child; and illustrations of the temptation and arrest of Christ. Its text is enlivened with interlinear drawings and decorated initials composed of human and animal figures, most of which carry symbolic resonances. As one of the key manuscripts in the debate over insular script and art, the Book of Kells has attracted a great deal of scholarly disagreement over its date and origin. The current majority opinion attributes it to the scriptorium of Iona (Argyllshire), though it remains unclear whether its production took place there or (wholly or partially) at Kells, Co. Meath, where the monastic community moved after it was attacked by Viking raiders in 806.
Bernard Meehan |
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"Kells, Book of." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Kells, Book of." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-KellsBookof.html "Kells, Book of." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-KellsBookof.html |
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Kells, Book of
Kells, Book of. A Latin copy of the four Gospels and some preliminaries, possibly late 8th cent., but first recorded at the monastery at Kells (Co. Meath) in 1007 after its theft and loss of covers. The unrestrained decoration and unusually large size suggest that it was an altar-book, for liturgical reading and ceremonial pomp; full-page illuminations and lavish embellishment render distinction amongst similar ‘insular’ manuscripts. In 1654 the town governor sent it to Dublin for safety from Cromwellian iconoclasm, following which it was presented to Trinity College by Henry Jones, post-Restoration bishop of Meath.
A. S. Hargreaves |
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JOHN CANNON. "Kells, Book of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Kells, Book of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-KellsBookof.html JOHN CANNON. "Kells, Book of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-KellsBookof.html |
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Kells, Book of
Kells, Book of an 8th-to 9th-cent. manuscript of the four Gospels, with prefaces, summaries and canon tables; seven charters of the abbey of Kells have been added on blank pages. It is written in Irish majuscule and has magnificent illustrations consisting of intricate patterns made up of abstract and animal forms. It was probably written at Kells in Co. Meath, the headquarters of the Columban community after the sack of Iona in 806. It was collated by Ussher in 1621 and presented to Trinity College, Dublin, after the Restoration.
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Kells, Book of." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Kells, Book of." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-KellsBookof.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Kells, Book of." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-KellsBookof.html |
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Book of Kells
Book of Kells Illuminated manuscript of the four gospels in Latin. Probably begun in the late 8th century at the Irish monastery of Iona, which later migrated to Kells, County Meath, Ireland, its intricate illumination and superb penmanship have earned it the epithet of ‘the most beautiful book in the world’. After its collation in 1621 by James Usher, it was presented to Trinity College, Dublin, where it has remained.
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"Book of Kells." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Book of Kells." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-BookofKells.html "Book of Kells." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-BookofKells.html |
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Kells, Book of
Kells, Book of A Latin copy of the four Gospels and some preliminaries, possibly late 8th cent., but first recorded at the monastery at Kells (Co. Meath) in 1007 after its theft and loss of covers. In 1654 the town governor sent it to Dublin for safety from Cromwellian iconoclasm, following which it was presented to Trinity College.
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JOHN CANNON. "Kells, Book of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Kells, Book of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-KellsBookof.html JOHN CANNON. "Kells, Book of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-KellsBookof.html |
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Kells, Book of
Kells, Book of. A finely ornamented Latin MS of the Gospels, dating from c.800. It was long thought to have been written at Kells (Caenannus Mór) in Co. Meath, but it may have been brought there from elsewhere. It is now in Trinity College, Dublin.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Kells, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Kells, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-KellsBookof.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Kells, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-KellsBookof.html |
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Book of Kells
Book of Kells see Ceanannus Mór . |
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"Book of Kells." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Book of Kells." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-BookKell.html "Book of Kells." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-BookKell.html |
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Kells, Book of
Kells, Book of. See Book of Kells.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "Kells, Book of." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Kells, Book of." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-KellsBookof.html IAN CHILVERS. "Kells, Book of." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-KellsBookof.html |
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