The Book of Kells : : A Masterwork Revealed: Creators, Collaboration, and Campaigns.

• Author: MacGabhann, Donncha.
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden : : Sidestone Press,, 2022.; ©2022.
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (326 pages)

Sublime calligraphy, marvellous art, and amazing initials, have charmed and captivated the audience of the Book of Kells for over twelve hundred years. This remarkable illuminated Gospel book attracts the attention of scholars as well as those more generally interested in the fabulous artefacts of the past. Everybody knows it was made by an extensive team of scribes and artists. Donncha MacGabhann knew that too. However, he was certain that a thorough examination could clearly identify the various contributions of its creators. His life and work as an artist and teacher inspired the belief that a close visual study could solve some of its enduring puzzles. The deeper he delved, the more he was convinced that Kells is entirely the work of two individuals. This evolved into a novel paradigm through which he came to know and understand the manuscript. Following years of meticulous research, this book tells the story of Kells' two Masters and their collaboration to create a Gospel book of unprecedented magnificence. Most poignantly, it reveals the struggle of the lone survivor of the two-man team to attempt the completion of their magnum opus. The most important outcomes of this book go far beyond the simple attribution of work to different hands. Much more significantly, it affords insights into the imagination which inspired its creators, especially the unique vision of Kells' great Scribe-Artist. Collectively, these new perspectives reveal a previously unknown 'Book of Kells,' one which, as it were, has remained hidden in plain sight. Challenging long-held theories is no small matter, and in doing so this radical study attempts to be comprehensive. The abundance of evidence may at times seem extravagant in its detail, for both specialists and non-specialists. The reader is therefore encouraged to find their own path in exploring The Book of Kells

- A Masterwork Revealed: Creators, Collaboration, and Campaigns.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Script -- Introduction -- The Script in the Book of Kells -- Concluding Remarks -- Illumination -- Introduction -- The Master-Artist -- The Eight-Circle Cross Carpet Page, f. 33r -- The Chi-Rho page - f. 34r -- The Liber, Initium, and In Principio pages (ff. 29r, 130r, and 292r) -- The Scribe-Artist as Illuminator -- Additions by the Scribe-Artist to the illumination on ff. 29r, 130r, and 292r -- The Quoniam page, f. 188r -- Shared Features of Kells' four Incipit pages -- The End of the Matthew list of Hebrew Names - f. 1r -- The damage and 'restoration' of f. 34r and related damage to f. 33r -- The 'Portrait' of Christ, f. 32v -- The Temptation of Jesus on the Temple, f. 202v -- Figurative Art -- The Programme of Illumination -- Canon Tables -- Introduction -- Part I The illuminated pages of Kells' Canon Tables -- The first opening, ff. 1v-2r -- The fourth opening, ff. 4v-5r -- The Grid-Framework Pages, the Canon Tables, and the Script -- The fifth opening, ff. 5v-6r -- Alignment and Grouping of Numerals -- The script of the canon numerals, ff. 1v-6r -- Part II Two Hypotheses -- Hypothesis A - a rationale for the arrangement of the numerals as they appear in the Book of Kells -- Hypothesis B - a rationale for the arrangement of the numerals as they may have been planned in the original campaign -- INITIALS and Display-Lettering -- Introduction -- Part I Initials -- Et-ligature - Initials and script -- a, a, and A Initials -- A brief summary of Kells' Initials -- Connections between Initials and Script -- Hairstyles and Heads on Zoo- and Anthropomorphic Initials -- Part II Display-lettering -- Angular display-lettering -- Curvilinear (outlined) display-lettering -- COLOUR -- Introduction -- Distribution of colour in Kells' text pages -- Overpainting -- Paint which is more freely applied.

Traces of offset paint -- Concluding Remarks -- ASPECTS of the Second Campaign and its Later Phase -- Introduction -- Red dotted outlines -- Red Triple-Dots and other features -- Doubling of markers and other motifs -- Triple-dots added inside initials, and elsewhere -- Miscellaneous additional features -- Red-over-yellow -- Concluding Remarks -- Excavating Kells' Text Pages -- 6. Humour in the Book of Kells -- 5. Mise-en-Page and Related Features -- 4. Accents and Abbreviation Marks -- 3. Superscripts, Subscripts, and Turn-in-Path -- 2. Script-Related Decoration -- 1. Textual Issues -- Introduction -- Epilogue -- Appendices -- Appendix 1A -- Appendix 1B -- The earliest phase of the Scribe-Artist's work in the first campaign -- Further work from the Scribe-Artist's first campaign -- The Scribe-Artist's work in the episodes leading up to and including the Passion (first campaign) -- f. 34v and f. 188v -- The Scribe-Artist's work in the second campaign -- Appendix 1C -- The First Campaign -- The Second Campaign -- Appendix 1D -- Appendix 2A -- Appendix 2B -- Matthew, Evangelist Symbols page, f. 27v -- Matthew 'Portrait' page, f. 28v -- John 'Portrait' page, f. 291v -- Virgin and Child page, f. 7v -- The so-called 'Arrest of Christ' page, f. 114r -- Tunc dicit illis Ihs page, f. 114v -- Nativitas Christi page, f. 8r -- Iesus autem plenus Sps Sco page, f. 203r -- Una autem sabbati page, f. 285r -- Final page of Mark's gospel, f. 187v -- Mark, Evangelist Symbols page, f. 129v -- John, Evangelist Symbols page, f. 290v -- Matthew, Genealogy, ff. 29v-31v -- Argumenta and Capitula incipits, ff. 12r-24r -- Luke, Genealogy, ff. 200r-202r -- Tunc Crucifixerant Christi page, f. 124r -- Erat autem hora tercia page, f. 183r -- Appendix 2C -- Appendix 3A -- The second opening - ff. 2v-3r -- The third opening - ff. 3v-4r -- Appendix 3B -- Appendix 3C -- Appendix 4A.

Appendix 4B -- Appendix 5 -- Bibliography -- Index of Manuscripts Cited -- General Index -- _Hlk8293964 -- _Hlk57923512 -- _Hlk75085096 -- _Hlk56086078 -- _Hlk8293964 -- _Hlk57661554 -- _Hlk75370016 -- _Hlk62292186 -- _Hlk64745423 -- _Hlk23957059 -- _Hlk59639825 -- _Hlk76597609 -- _Hlk97221403 -- _Hlk97040878 -- _Hlk96261363 -- _Hlk96284670 -- _Hlk26449118 -- _Hlk94027508 -- _Hlk62294181 -- _Hlk90632853 -- _Hlk52454224 -- _Hlk52449756 -- _Hlk52449952 -- _Hlk95588521 -- _Hlk98353838 -- _Hlk96349972 -- Lege pagina.