1. Monks and Books: Insular Art

4. Insular art = Hiberno-Saxon art

6. Iona Abbey, founded by St. Columba in the later 6th century

7. Page from the co-called Book of Kells,
late 8th or early 9th century

9. Reading from a papyrus scroll, ancient Greek cup, ca. 440–435 BCE

10. Codex Sinaiticus, 4th century CE

11. PARCHMENT: animal skin, usually of a sheep, goat, or calf, prepared as a surface for writing or painting
VELLUM: very fine parchment made of calfskin

12. Preparing parchment

14. Codex Sinaiticus, 4th century CE

15. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Gospel of John 1:1
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Gospel of John 1:14

16. Page from the co-called Book of Kells,
late 8th or early 9th century

17. ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (“Christ” in Greek) Page from the co-called Book of Kells,
late 8th or early 9th century

18. Look more keenly at it, and you will penetrate to the very shrine of art. You will make out intricacies, so delicate and subtle, so exact and compact, so full of knots and links, with colors so fresh and vivid, that you might say that all this was the work of an angel, and not of a man.
Gerald of Wales, 12th c.

19. Three main types of decoration in Insular
Gospel books:
Decorated initials
Carpet pages
Portraits and/or symbols of the evangelists

20. Beginning of the Gospel of John:
In principio (“In the beginning was the Word”)., Book of Durrow, ca. 660–680

21. Carpet page, Book of Durrow,

22. Carpet page, Book of Durrow,

23. Finds from the ship burial discovered at Sutton Hoo, England, ca. 625
Purse cover
Belt buckle

24. Man, symbol of the evangelist Matthew, Book of Durrow,
ca. 660–680

25. Portrait of the Hebrew priest and scribe Ezra,
Codex Amiatinus, early 8th century

26. Codex Amiatinus

27. When the sacred books were destroyed by fire, Ezra, inspired by God, restored this work.
Portrait of the Hebrew priest and scribe Ezra,
Codex Amiatinus, early 8th century