The astonishing Book of Kells
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- čas přidán 24. 06. 2022
- A conversation between Dr. Lauren Kilroy and Dr. Steven Zucker about the Book of Kells, c. 800, 340 vellum folios, 33.0 x 25.5 cm each (edges trimmed and gilded in the 19th century), MS 58 (Trinity College Library, Dublin)
This is marvelous!!! I remember watching a movie about this, titled "The Secret of Kells" when I was a kid. I fell in love with the story and the art and science of the book's making to the point that it was the first movie I tried to translate from English to my mother language in my teenage years so my family could watch and understand it. It is breathtaking seeing how accurate the movie was towards the Book of Kells, and now having a chance to admire it by myself is on my bucket list for real.
Thats how I discovered this too! The secret of kells is such an underrated masterpiece, my favorite childhood movie for sure!
You were a kid not too long ago laddie, then again I forget that I'm more than half a century into the future. Yes I was born in the last century, we used to have Dinosaurs back then, but they are all gone now......hahahaha!
A wonderful animated film indeed. I used to think it was a Ghibli studio productions, but it was made by research outreach group a team of many artists, writers and others from many countries who worked together to make a wonderful movie.
We live in Kells, very proud of our history.
The Secret of Kells is such a gorgeous movie! Incredible animation.
Thanks for sharing. Now on my "movies to watch" list. 😍
In 1990 while with US Customs a shipment came through for inspection. We took out an exact replica of the Book of Kells. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Each page was a work of art. It must have taken months of painstaking work to reproduce only one copy. There was a dozen in the shipment.
Wow!
That sounds like an otherworldly sight just to imagine... So lucky, man!
When I was 11 years old I visited the Dublin library with my Irish American Grandmother. I was so impressed and fascinated with the Book of Kells!! I am now 75 and still have the pamphlet-book about the book that we purchased there! Thank you much for your video. It brought back such a good memory!
Dad took me to Ireland for my 12th birthday to meet all my aunts, uncles and cousins, lots of them and most for the 1st time. When I saw the Book of Kells I was gobsmacked… I bought a tea spoon and still have it 54 years later. Thank you for unlocking this memory for me ❤
I throughly enjoyed your video. Thank you for sharing all this wonderful history.
@michellemathews4764 I live about 10mins walk from trinity college & have often gazed in wonder at the pages. It truly is a Christian work of art. Happy Easter, from Dublin Ireland.
This has to be the most beautiful book I've ever seen. The dedication of those early Medieval scribes shines on every page.
Three things astonish me every time I see a page of the Kells--1) the amazing technicolor abandon with which Celtic monks made the book. They're almost over the top in exuberance but never garish. The blues, greens and reds especially, pop and glow. 2) Then there is the incredibly gorgeous Irish knot design, or interlace, or whiplash, as art nouveau called it. 3) And finally the whimsical animals, making The Book of Kells the Pixar of Medieval Europe.
I have a similar feeling of awe looking at the Book of Kells that I do when I look at Michelangelo's Pietà. It's utterly unfathomable that human hands created something like this.
Im from Kells! Glad that this book gets the international recognition it deserves. Hope you enjoyed your trip here to our little heritage town!💕
We did. It's a lovely town and it was a treat to be able to visit.
Keep the m*zzies away from it!
I saw this in my Ireland trip 8 years ago, and it was a highlight of a wonderful vacation. My big hobby is cross stitch, and I love to do really detailed and elaborate multi year projects, usually patterns based on fine art. I have been trying to find a pattern of one of the carpet pages from the Book of Kells, because that intricate interlace would be so much fun to reproduce on canvas!!
It's amazing. I was there, and sow this extraordinary book 📖. And Trinity collage is astonished 😮. I take my heart from Ireland and put it on its place.....
It's a shame the original cover of the book was evidently lost - it was supposedly of gold and heavily studded with gems and very fine metalwork.
Yes but it's a wonder of the world it survived the depredations of the Vikings, then Henry VIII, then Cromwell.
This takes a lot of talent, I don’t believe you could easily get such a group today with such a singular focus
I need to say thank you ,very much for give it to us gorgeous information I never saw in my whole life Something so beautiful gorgeous .🤝❤️
When I was working n my MPhil at University College Dublin , back in the 70’s, my manuscript was in the rare book room at Trinity. I went there most days. At that time, n the morning, the library was empty. I would go take a look at the Book of Kells. They turned the page every day. There was never anyone there. I could look at the pages as long as I wanted , then go in to work on my own, far less impressive, but equally ancient manuscript.
Wow, what a privilege
@@kelleycavan6911 I’m in my 70’s now. My husband and I are approaching our 50th anniversary. Still, every day I long for Dublin. I decided, so long ago, that I would leave England and Ireland and live in a small midwestern town, where my husband practiced law. I go back when I can. I still have friends there. Life is good, no one gets everything they want.
@@kelleycavan6911 It was one of the best periods of my life. I cannot describe the awe I felt when I first held that 1500 year old manuscript in my trembling hands. My manuscript, not the book of Kells.
I did my PhD in trace element nutrition and only recently discovered my love of history and all things ancient since retiring. I listen to a podcast called Travels Through Time and the interviewer always asks the historian what they would like to bring back with them from the time in history that they are experts in - and that is my favourite part. Each object tells a story or hides a secret that it is trying to tell those who come after its creation.
I also loved visiting Ireland but was only there for 5 weeks. The place that made my hair stand up on the back of my neck was New Grange. The Neolithic art there is compelling and mysterious, yet speaks across millennia to those who know how to listen
And happy anniversary 🎉 We recently celebrated number 35 but 50 is an exceptional accomplishment
Fantastic video as always, I really like how you let us spend so much time with the art, pointed out the details - and offered it in ultra-HD.
A beautiful example of an illuminated manuscript. The skill demonstrated by the "Kells" scribners amazes me.
I am so fortunate to have seen
"The Book of Kells" in the Trinity College Library in 1969 when I was traveling the British Isles studying Celtic Art. This was during my 4 years at the Art School here in Vancouver, Canada. am also fortunate to own a "COPY" of this manuscript published by Thames and Hudson and written by François Henry. I cherish it dearly. I do know that not too many copies were made, but I do not know much more than that. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for this beautiful video today, on
Mother's Day. A perfect gift in reminding me of my initial interest in Celtic Art and illustrations. I have been wanting to resurect my small apartment studio to "begin again " my creative work.
Thank you so much. ✨️✝️☘️
Excellent video as always! So glad to see you've come to my home country.
I was fortunate enough to see the Book of Kells in person when I visited Ireland. Such awesome history.
I'm so thrilled to see this, I just added it to our master course. I felt like I was missing something, and this is icing on the cake! We hope to run the Art History 1 in January.
Thanks for the great video. Truly one of the greatest illuminated manuscripts and one of the great treasures of Christian art!
It is a artistic and devotional work for the ages. Something that strikes me is that this work was done with very little artificial light in a place where sunny days are not the norm.
Wow! Simply fantastic and tremendous. I am so grateful and filled with joy at the sight and thought of this marvelous book
Excellent video! Thank you so much! I'm going to show this to my students
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 📚 The Book of Kells is housed at Trinity College and is an exceptional book from the early Middle Ages.
00:30 📖 Made from fine vellum, over 100 calves' skins were used for its production.
01:26 🏛️ The book was created in a scriptorium, where scribes wrote and painted.
02:25 🎨 The Book of Kells contains intricate illustrations, including the elaborate Chi Rho page.
03:23 🕊️ The Chi Rho page features intricate interlacing and various symbolic elements.
04:20 🖋️ The precision of the details on such a small scale is impressive and likely required deep focus.
04:48 📖 The Book of Kells is changed every few days due to preservation, showcasing various ornate pages.
05:43 ✍️ The book uses an Irish form of writing called insular majuscule, characterized by rounded and regular letter forms.
06:11 ⚔️ The Book of Kells might have been brought to Kells Abbey from Iona for protection during Viking attacks.
Made with HARPA AI
It is a staggeringly complex, rich and sumptuous book rich in colour and detail. A very interesting video. Thanks!
This is my favorite depiction of the gospel author symbols - I love the style of them.
I read a book about illuminated manuscripts in prison and it highlighted how the book of kells is the greatest book of that era.
Thank you , from Ireland ☘️
The level of detail reminds me of some Mandalas.
A woman I knew in Dublin talked of the marginalia in the Book of Kells, specifically warble fly holes in the vellum that would be decorated and a phrase “I am so cold and tired”, also marginalia, though I don’t know if the phrase (in Latin, of course) was accompanied by an image.
I was lucky enough to see this book in person a few years ago! The different areas of the exhibit were great and the lead up to and reveal of the Book of Kells on display in that dark room was wonderful. When I went there was also a facsimile reproduction of the Book of Kells on display in the famous Long Room, which was awesome to see. Thanks for the nice video!
The Book of Kells, and the story of its history, is simply fascinating. I remember my Art History Teacher, Mr. Larson, lecturing on it in college. Each page is an incredible work of art, and I would give anything to visit and see it.
An incredible work of art. I've seen bits on PBS over the years about this book. The effort and reverence, amazing. I am reminded of the activities associated with the BCE Egyptian Pyramids.
I had no idea the book was real let alone the Monastery, when I saw the movie I assumed it was fiction I'm only 20 seconds into this video and I'm super grateful already I'm sure I love it
Why do we think that an ancient item which is designed to embody divinity should be too complex and intricate for its time? Man has always strived for perfection in the face of divinity and will dedicate teams of men to its completion over years, decades, even centuries.
Excellent quality - I was able to see some of it back in 1973
Wow. Fascinating. Thank you
Fascinating. I would love to have this book just for one night to look through it
There are high-quality reproductions of this manuscript available to buy. Those run at serious prices, but (IIRC) less than a ticket to Ireland.
Wow what an intricate elaborated manuscript! It has a lot of sacred geometry and illuminating philosophies motifs. Great to learn of it's existence.
I was exposed to this book thanks to "the secret of Kells" movie, to this day this is one of my favorite movies and the art has been a huge inspiration for my drawings through the years. This book is something extra ordinary!
Breathtaking!
Thank you. Happy Easter 2024.
Awesome...thanks for sharing💞
of course that book already is an incredible sight to behold as it is now, but imagine how it must have looked when the pictures were still fresh
You can see every page of this book. Zoom in or out and see every detail. Trinity has put it online in digital format.
The Masterpiece.
Hello! I've never heard of the Book of Kells before. It's mentioned in a book I'm reading and I was curious if such a thing existed. Wow! It exists all right! It truly is a national treasure. Thank you for a great video to introduce me to such an incredible human achievement. ❤️⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now you’ll have to investigate the Winchester Bible. Unfinished, not as elaborate, but still a wonder.
Y’all should’ve told us you were in Dublin , got a whole bunch of LC Art students who would’ve loved a meet and greet !😢
We had a splendid visit but were only in Dublin briefly. Please say hello to those students for us, and stay in touch.
I wish things like this were still created today.
they are, u just cant afford them, high end bookbinding and calligraphy is probably better than ever. its just not popular enough to normal people for anyone to know about it. the new versions of these sorts of books just stay with the people who make them.
Divine mystery intersecting with humanity
Been to the Island of Iona and it’s definitely a must if you’re already going to Sky.
@2:18 the image of the carpet page more so favores the impression of the Templar Knights depiction of the Tree of Life.
very beautiful detail
Enlightening!!
Who’s here after seeing the animated movie?
Magnificent! A treasure for the art lover and historian, a nightmare for the local tattoo artist. 😅
Beautiful.
Fascinating. 🤔
Wow! That is so stunning!
thank you.
It’s gorgeous!
Recent examinations have shown that lapis lazuli was not used. The blue and teal was most likely from woad
Interesting - can you direct us to a source for this?
This amazing
waooo thanks for sharing
When I saw the book of Kells in 2001 ,the pages were projected up onto the walls. Even at this huge magnification the illustrations were perfect. Is this projection still happening?
Absolutely stunning 😊
It would take a monk years to complete just one of these elaborate pages. And no delete key.
Wow 🤩
The illuminations of the book almost resemble the Art Decl and Art Nouveau styles of the 20th Century ! I😮
I live in Kells. It's my favourite book.
We enjoyed our visit.
I've been looking for a book that shows the art of a variety of illustrated manuscripts. The only one I found had text that was 95% related to the provenance of the illuminated manuscripts themselves, and had a clickbait title that made me think it was actually about the illustrations. I'm not sure if such a book even exists. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to know.
I just showed my son this video and he pulled out a book of Carolingian illuminated manuscripts I didn't know he had. It is focused on just the Carolingian though.
Strongly recommend “Meetings with Remarakable Manuscripts” by Christopher de Hamel. Really a remarkable book.
I just referenced a book this morning in a church history class I teach at our church. It's called The Bible Illuminated, copyright 2017, published by Museum of the Bible, Inc. It covers 61 documents (including Book of Kells and Lindisfarne Gospels), and is wonderful, with great pictures.
AWESOME ancient books... who know HOW MANY LIKE THIS... burned, destroyed etc...
And as always…. Enjoyyyyy
Amazing! Thanks for sharing this beautiful art! It would be very cool if they were to mass print a version of the Bible with identical art/writing... I think it would sell really well.
There was a limited run of exact copies of the book printed some years ago.
They cost thousands of euro.
@@bipedmammaldamn, wish I had one!
Last summer i came to Dublin and went to see the Book of Kells.
Don’t let this scene 6:27 fool you… there were hundreds of folks in line to get in. (Not an exaggeration). We had to ask if this was the line for the book.
Found out as we got closer there were groups entering every 1/2hr or so. So, i went to the front door at the entrance ( 6:27 ) to find out when the next group was entering and how much it cost to get in.
The signage at the entrance said we had to purchase tickets at the front gate… not here at the entrance to the attraction.
We walked all over trying to find “the front gate”… never found it.
We did see a sign offering us to follow a QR code to purchase the ticket online . . . The website refused to load :(
Wasn’t our day. Moved on.
We had a wonderful time in this beautiful city.
Last summer post-covid travel was by all accounts unprecedented in volume so I am not surprised to hear your story. And of course, it's always a good idea to book tickets ahead of time and, if possible, to travel off season. I hope you have another opportunity to visit.
@@smarthistoryvideos Yes, definitely good idea to book in advance!
Oh, yes, I trust life’s journey will find me with opportunity to return to Ireland it was one of my favorite places I’ve visited… to see the book would be icing on the cake. :)
We do have other videos about the art and architecture of Ireland that you might find interesting. They can all be found on smarthistory.org but here are a couple to get you started,
czcams.com/video/Mf61B4KWUpQ/video.html Cross of Cong
czcams.com/video/YEvWbUZZEzs/video.html Newgrange
@@smarthistoryvideos - wonderful. I will take the time to enjoy them!
Very Beautiful.
And here I was, thinking this would be about the Eliksni
Was in Ireland last Summer but the college was closed 😢
Awww☹️
Que lindo
Will you be doing a discussion of the Lindisfarne Gospels?
Smarthistory has a video and a wonderful short essay on the Lindisfarne Gospels, you can find them here: smarthistory.org/the-lindisfarne-gospels/
Do you know of any way to purchase a facsimile of the book?
Facsimile Finder, ask of Giovanni Scorcioni. Ciao
Are there similar manuscripts to be found in ortodox christianity ? It looks very iconographic a style that was not visible in western Europe
I have two tattoos from the book of kells
What did the Monks do with the book once it was completed? Keep it locked away??
most likely, if not in use for devotional use
Eine Frage, die nur ein Moderner stellen kann. Dieses Buch war im Gottesdienst benutzt. Dieses Buch wurde einzig und allein zur Ehre Gottes geschaffen. Die Idee Kunstwerke um der Kunst willen zu schaffen, lag außerhalb des Denkens dieser Mönche.
At 1:31 the arches also look like 4 swords
3:04 Cille......as in "El"!?
So you're telling me Superman's irish?
🦸🍀
The Secret of Kell’s was based on real life?!
My OCD is smiling.
500 calves I'm horrified
Did you see Matthews hidden hand?
Well, they weren’t producing widgets. This was a work of reverence and faith.
Nuts.
Someone get mithrax on this. As the Kell of the House of Light he is probably interested in this
✨🧸✨ 👶👏❤️
I have a copy😊
We went to Ireland on our 35th wedding anniversary and saw the book of Kells briefly. That building look like Hogwarts everything about the entire experience was really cool.. The line was long. The viewing was brief and the book is not very big. Still pretty cool.
Chaidh an leabhar deante air Eilean I s chan e ann an Kells.
Perhaps you missed the part of the video where we discuss this.
Is dòcha gun do chaill thu am pàirt den bhidio far am bi sinn a’ bruidhinn air seo.
Cha be airson an fheadhainn a rinn a bhidio a sgriobh mi siud ach airson iadsan a tha fhathast gun fhios far an robh e deante. @@smarthistoryvideos
Queen Victoria defaced this great work of art by signing it.
what the actual fuck
792 AD is "medieval"? More like dark ages, age of Charlemagne. Crikey!
The Book of Kells and Charlemagne are both squarely in the European Medieval era (or Middle Ages) which is commonly dated from c. 400/500 - c. 1400/1500. The Dark Ages, a term no longer used by historians refers to the early Medieval period. The very term Middle Ages was the thousand years in the middle (between) the Ancient and the Renaissance (when it was coined).