Book of Kells

Examples of Book of Kells in the following topics:

• Illustrated Books in the Early Middle Ages

  • One illuminated manuscript that represents the pinnacle of Insular Art is the Book of Kells (Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais), created by Celtic monks in 800, or slightly earlier.
  • Also known as the Book of Columba, The Book of Kells is considered a masterwork of Western calligraphy, with its illustrations and ornamentation surpassing that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity.
  • The Book of Kells's decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art.
  • The Insular majuscule script of the text itself in the Book of Kells appears to be the work of at least three different scribes.
  • The decoration of the book is famous for combining intricate detail with bold and energetic compositions.

• Block Books

  • The mass production of paper in 15th century Europe opened the door for the proliferation of printed books.
  • The increasing mass production of paper, coupled with the invention of the printing press in 15th century Europe, opened the doors for the proliferation of printed books.
  • Block books were short books consisting of up to 50 leaves block-printed with woodcuts carved to include both text and imagery.
  • The most renowned block book is the Ars Moriendi, or The Art of Dying, from the Netherlands.
  • Describe the development of printed books in Northern Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries

• The Book of the Dead

  • The original Egyptian name is translated as "Book of Coming Forth by Day," or "Book of Emerging Forth into the Light."
  • Despite the word "book" in the common title, the Book of the Dead was actually printed on scrolls, as opposed to bound texts.
  • The New Kingdom saw the Book of the Dead develop and spread further.
  • There was no single Book of the Dead, and works tended to vary widely.
  • Composed of joined sheets of papyrus, the dimensions of a Book of the Dead could vary from one to 40 meters.

• Romanesque Illustrated Books

  • Many books of worship produced during the Romanesque period were characterized by illuminated manuscript.
  • A number of regional schools of art converged during the early Romanesque period and influenced the production of illuminated manuscripts and illustrated books.
  • In all, 48 of the major historiated initials that begin each book stand complete.
  • Each book of the Bible and the major sections of Psalms are introduced by a large historiated initial in colors and gold, with the exception of the books of Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Haggai.
  • Alban's Psalter is widely considered to be one of the most important examples of English Romanesque book production.

• Islamic Book Painting

  • The evolution of book painting first began in the 13th century, when the Mongols, under the leadership of Genghis Khan, swept through the Islamic world.
  • Chinese influences in Islamic book painting included the early adoption of the vertical format natural to a book.
  • The largest commissions of illustrated books were usually classics of Persian poetry, such as the Shahnameh.
  • Masterpieces of Ottoman manuscript illustration include the two "books of festivals," one dating from the end of the 16th century and the other from the era of Sultan Murad III.
  • These books contain numerous illustrations and exhibit a strong Safavid influence, perhaps inspired by books captured in the course of the Ottoman-Safavid wars of the 16th century.

• Ottonian Illustrated Books in the Early European Middle Ages

  • The most richly illuminated manuscripts were used for display and most likely to be liturgical books, including psalters, gospel books, and huge illuminated complete Bibles.
  • These lavish manuscripts sometimes include a dedication portrait commemorating the book's creation, in which the patron is usually depicted presenting the book to the saint of choice.
  • Illuminated manuscripts were enclosed in ornate metal book covers decorated with gems and ivory carvings.
  • The scriptorium of Reichenau became famous for its style of gospel illustration in liturgical books.
  • Describe the purpose and style of illustrated books in the Ottonian renaissance.

• Illuminated Manuscripts

  • The types of books that were most often heavily and richly illuminated, sometimes known as a "display book," varied between periods.
  • In the first millennium, Gospel Books were often illuminated.
  • Finally, the Book of Hours, commonly the personal devotional book of a wealthy layperson, was often richly illuminated in the Gothic period .
  • These manuscripts generally covered the text of or commentary on the Book of Revelations, which describes the end of the world.
  • The book of hours, a devotional book popular in the later Middle Ages, is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript.

• Illuminated Manuscripts

  • During the early to mid 1400s, illuminated books were considered a high art form, and Burgundy (Flanders) was a center of such production.
  • During the early to mid 1400s, illuminated books were considered a higher art form than panel painting.
  • The works included religious works such the books of hours and prayer books, but also histories, tales of adventure and love, poetry, and a wide range of moralizing works that we might classify as self-improvement books today.
  • At the time illuminated manuscripts were considered treasured works of high craft; to own books indicated wealth, status, and taste.
  • However, its importance was supplanted in the 1440s by the cities of Bruges and Ghent, in part due to the patronage of the cultured Philip the Good, who by his death had collected over 1,000 individual books.

• Historical Records

  • The emergence of historical records is, of course, tied to the history of printed text.
  • Around the mid-15th century, block-books, woodcut books with both text and images usually carved in the same block, emerged as a cheaper alternative to manuscripts and books printed with movable type.
  • The bestsellers of the day were repeated in many different block-book versions.
  • The Ars moriendi and the Biblia pauperum were the most common of these block-books.
  • The invention of the printing press revolutionized communication and book production, leading to the spread of knowledge.

• Carolingian Illustrated Books in the Early European Middle Ages

  • The most numerous surviving works of the Carolingian era are illuminated manuscripts, which further developed the Insular book style.
  • A number of luxury manuscripts, mostly Gospel books, have survived.
  • The resulting Gospel book of Ebbo (816–835) was painted with swift, fresh and vibrant brush strokes, evoking an inspiration and energy unknown in classical Mediterranean forms.
  • Other books associated with the Rheims school include the Utrecht Psalter, which was perhaps the most important of all Carolingian manuscripts (for its innovative and naturalistic figure line drawings that were to become the most influential innovation of Carolinian art in later periods), and the Bern Physiologus, the earliest Latin edition of the Christian allegorical text on animals.
  • Lorsch Gospels: Ivory book cover.