SNIPPET: An exquisite treasure awaits visitors to the library at Trinity College, Dublin - the Book of Kells. Its decoration and calligraphy, or penmanship, have earned it a reputation as the most beautiful book in the world, and countless thousands have viewed it over the years. In 1990, a superb facsimile edition was produced - 1,480 copies. Nothing can quite capture the magnificence of this lavishly-decorated manuscript measuring 13 x 9 inches and displayed under thick glass and soft light. There are full-page depictions of the Evangelists and their symbolic portraits of Christ and the Virgin and Child, and illustrations of the temptation and arrest of Christ. Its text is enlivened with fine interlinear drawings and decorated initials composed of human and animal figures. Some of its decorated initials occupy a full page. It was apparently the work of scribes in Columba's monastery in Kells, Ireland, during the the 700's or 800's. Columba, himself, may have worked on it, as he transcribed about 300 volumes. To quote Bernard MEEHAN, keeper of manuscripts at Trinity, it is a "large-format manuscript codex of the Latin text of the Gospels." Its origins are unclear and still the subject of debate. At best, it can be dated to circa 800 A. D. Where it was written has been a matter for much scholarly investigation. It has been suggested that work on the manuscript was begun on the monastic island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. However, Iona was subject to attack from Norsemen, and it seems likely that the monks fled and continued their work at Kells in Co. Meath. Records of the books whereabouts throughout the Middle Ages are sketchy, but by about 1653 it could be accurately located in Dublin, where it had been sent for safekeeping during the Cromwellian period. Some time after this it found its way to Trinity and for many years afterward the popular belief persisted that it was written by St. Colum Cille, who had founded the monastery on Iona in about 561. Even in 1849, when Quee! n Victoria and Prince Albert visited Ireland, it was referred to as "St. Columba's Book," and the royals were accorded the privilege of signing it although the additional flyleaves (which included their signatures) were removed from the book when it was re-bound in 1953. It is often assumed that the Book of Kells is a complete masterpiece, perfect in every respect. Despite the superb detail and decorative artistry of many of its pages, some pages are almost illegible, other contain errors in the text. In some places the embellishments are incomplete or not fully colored. In one instance an entire page was repeated by mistake and was subsequently adorned with red crosses to alert the reader to this mistake. This only serves to heighten the viewer's sense of wonder at the beautifully-illuminated (decorated) pages -- any one of which could hold the viewer's attention for hours. The book has not survived all these centuries without damage. A number of pages have been lost and various personages of note with access to the book have seen fit to leave their signature or initials on some of the pages. In an effort to flatten the pages in the 19th century, a technique was used in which the pages were wetted. This succeeded in its purpose, but the water took away some of the delicate washes of color, some of its three-dimensional look. Again, what remains outweighs that which has been lost. The painstakingly intricate work of the monks has proved to be remarkably durable. Research indicates now that the Book of Kells is largely the work of four monks whose styles were remarkably similar. They worked on vellum, which is treated calfskin, and a rough calculation suggests that as many as 185 hides would have been needed to create the whole book. A wide range of pigments were used, both organic and mineral, and some of these had to be imported, giving further credence to the belief that the book must have been produced by a wealthy monastery. Some of the pigments have yet to be clearly identified, and scholars would love to know with certainty the book's origins and date of writing.

unsubscribe ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 7:32 PM Subject: [IRELAND] Mysterious & Beautiful Book Of Kells - Trinity College, Dublin > SNIPPET: An exquisite treasure awaits visitors to the library at Trinity > College, Dublin - the Book of Kells. Its decoration and calligraphy, or > penmanship, have earned it a reputation as the most beautiful book in the > world, and countless thousands have viewed it over the years. In 1990, a > superb facsimile edition was produced - 1,480 copies. > > Nothing can quite capture the magnificence of this lavishly-decorated > manuscript measuring 13 x 9 inches and displayed under thick glass and > soft light. There are full-page depictions of the Evangelists and their > symbolic portraits of Christ and the Virgin and Child, and illustrations > of the temptation and arrest of Christ. Its text is enlivened with fine > interlinear drawings and decorated initials composed of human and animal > figures. Some of its decorated initials occupy a full page. It was > apparently the work of scribes in Columba's monastery in Kells, Ireland, > during the the 700's or 800's. Columba, himself, may have worked on it, as > he transcribed about 300 volumes. > > To quote Bernard MEEHAN, keeper of manuscripts at Trinity, it is a > "large-format manuscript codex of the Latin text of the Gospels." Its > origins are unclear and still the subject of debate. At best, it can be > dated to circa 800 A. D. Where it was written has been a matter for much > scholarly investigation. It has been suggested that work on the manuscript > was begun on the monastic island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. > However, Iona was subject to attack from Norsemen, and it seems likely > that the monks fled and continued their work at Kells in Co. Meath. > Records of the books whereabouts throughout the Middle Ages are sketchy, > but by about 1653 it could be accurately located in Dublin, where it had > been sent for safekeeping during the Cromwellian period. Some time after > this it found its way to Trinity and for many years afterward the popular > belief persisted that it was written by St. Colum Cille, who had founded > the monastery on Iona in about 561. Even in 1849, when Quee! > n Victoria and Prince Albert visited Ireland, it was referred to as "St. > Columba's Book," and the royals were accorded the privilege of signing it > although the additional flyleaves (which included their signatures) were > removed from the book when it was re-bound in 1953. > > It is often assumed that the Book of Kells is a complete masterpiece, > perfect in every respect. Despite the superb detail and decorative > artistry of many of its pages, some pages are almost illegible, other > contain errors in the text. In some places the embellishments are > incomplete or not fully colored. In one instance an entire page was > repeated by mistake and was subsequently adorned with red crosses to alert > the reader to this mistake. This only serves to heighten the viewer's > sense of wonder at the beautifully-illuminated (decorated) pages -- any > one of which could hold the viewer's attention for hours. > > The book has not survived all these centuries without damage. A number of > pages have been lost and various personages of note with access to the > book have seen fit to leave their signature or initials on some of the > pages. In an effort to flatten the pages in the 19th century, a technique > was used in which the pages were wetted. This succeeded in its purpose, > but the water took away some of the delicate washes of color, some of its > three-dimensional look. Again, what remains outweighs that which has been > lost. The painstakingly intricate work of the monks has proved to be > remarkably durable. > > Research indicates now that the Book of Kells is largely the work of four > monks whose styles were remarkably similar. They worked on vellum, which > is treated calfskin, and a rough calculation suggests that as many as 185 > hides would have been needed to create the whole book. A wide range of > pigments were used, both organic and mineral, and some of these had to be > imported, giving further credence to the belief that the book must have > been produced by a wealthy monastery. Some of the pigments have yet to be > clearly identified, and scholars would love to know with certainty the > book's origins and date of writing. > > > ==== IRELAND Mailing List ==== > Ireland Mailing List website..surname registry, links, lookup > volunteers,unsubscribe, change your subscription from L to D or D to L > http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/IrelandList/ > >

They turn one page of the Book of Kells every day, to keep the exposure to light consistent for each page. Lee Anne