December 3 - A History of Art - The Book of Kells

As I continue through the pages of History of Art by Kirsten Bradbury, I see page after page of beautifully illustrated Gospels in the Early Medieval Time. I do not know if that was the only art to survive from that time period or if it was simply the most prevalent. I am simply following along in this book which I am using as a guide as I try to learn a little about the world of art. I love looking at the beautiful ways the Bible has been illustrated in times past. Can you begin to imagine the painstaking work of creating this beautiful work!?

The Book of Kells contains the four gospels in Latin and was created by Irish monks living at Iona, an island in Scotland's Inner Hebrides. The pages are made of vellum and decorated with richly colored dyes, some imported from the Middle East. Monks created such wors as a sign of their obedience and devotion to God. They believed that the Word of God should be recorded within scenes of beauty.

The Viking invasions caused the monks to flee to Kells in Ireland, leaving the Book of Kells unfinished.

This page opens the Gospel of John