Book of Kells (2018)(worldhistory.org)
worldhistory.org
Book of Kells (2018)
https://www.worldhistory.org/Book_of_Kells/
45 comments
I went to college in Trinity and the Book of Kells is housed in the old library.
Once you've finished seeing the book, you head upstairs through the Long Room, and that place is just special (they used it as the hall of the jedi)
As a student there you could visit for free. I used to just go up and hang in the library for 10 mins or so a few times a year. Loved it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Trinity_College_D...
Once you've finished seeing the book, you head upstairs through the Long Room, and that place is just special (they used it as the hall of the jedi)
As a student there you could visit for free. I used to just go up and hang in the library for 10 mins or so a few times a year. Loved it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Trinity_College_D...
I agree; I visited trinity collage a couple years ago and the book is fascinating from a historical perspective, but seeing it in a case isn't much better than a photo. The library itself is the better attraction.
Highly recommend the animated movie Secret of the Kells.
I loved it, "Song of the sea" by the same director/author is also quite good but not as much IMVHO.
Check out Wolfwalkers too, is the third movie of the Irish Folklore Trilogy made by Tomm Moore after Song of the Sea
Song of the Sea is even prettier.
Find the friend with the 4K HDR TV and invite yourself over to watch it.
They should rerelease that one in theaters.
Find the friend with the 4K HDR TV and invite yourself over to watch it.
They should rerelease that one in theaters.
My family loves this movie. I came here to leave this comment :)
Seconded - very distinctive animation, loved the music.
nth-ing this. Absolutely beautiful in its own right and a great introduction to the book.
Honestly, I don't know the exact intent of the producers here, but that film seemed more like an introduction and primer for Druidic Paganism than a historical examination of monastic scribal practices in the 9th century.
European Christianity in many ways was integrated with the local mythologies and mysticisms of the peoples who took it up. For example, the magic in infinite knotwork became Christian prayer in the new framework. It's not so far-fetched to see the illumination of the Book of Kells as being in direct continuity with the pagan heritage, and the message of the film seemed to me to be the exposition of that relationship, and of how that relationship was used in evangelization.
The Vikings themselves were eventually pacified by the same evangelization, and social integration into the new Europe.
The Vikings themselves were eventually pacified by the same evangelization, and social integration into the new Europe.
You're telling me that a 9th century young monk didn't defeat the pegan god Crom Cruach, steal his eye and use it to write the Book of Kells?
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As a less sarcastic response: the movie is about the atmosphere / setting of dark-age Ireland, drawn in the style demonstrated by the Book of Kells (a book from those centuries).
One of the wonders of the book is that whoever wrote it seems to have had a magnifying glass, as many designs are enlarged objects. But magnifying glasses were not yet invented. Maybe they had a different technique involving water bubbles or something in the 9th century to see the incredibly intricate drawings of that book. Or maybe they independently discovered magnifying glasses and kept it secret somehow. Who knows?
But going ham by saying "Oh, they stole the eye of the pegan god and used that to help write the book" is quite epic and excellent storytelling. Its obviously ahistorical but a cool story nonetheless.
And its one cool way of acknowledging one cool mystery of that book.
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As a less sarcastic response: the movie is about the atmosphere / setting of dark-age Ireland, drawn in the style demonstrated by the Book of Kells (a book from those centuries).
One of the wonders of the book is that whoever wrote it seems to have had a magnifying glass, as many designs are enlarged objects. But magnifying glasses were not yet invented. Maybe they had a different technique involving water bubbles or something in the 9th century to see the incredibly intricate drawings of that book. Or maybe they independently discovered magnifying glasses and kept it secret somehow. Who knows?
But going ham by saying "Oh, they stole the eye of the pegan god and used that to help write the book" is quite epic and excellent storytelling. Its obviously ahistorical but a cool story nonetheless.
And its one cool way of acknowledging one cool mystery of that book.
Some truths are best told as parables, sometimes fantastical ones.
Well in their defense a primer for fantastical stories makes for a more interesting animated movie than a historical examination of scribal practices.
I think the intention was both to share a lot of Irish folklore and the tumultuous times where that book was made in the era before Ireland became as Catholic as most of us were used to thinking of it as. The idea that something beautiful could come out of the violent Viking era is a pretty powerful concept for a filmmaker, and the art style shows that the makers weren’t rejecting their Celtic heritage.
I saw it in Dublin. No special tickets or long waits, IIRC. It's totally worth it, as is Trinity College.
I've also been to Iona! There was a bus trip through Mull (not that exciting) and then a ferry to Iona. There was some cattle land, but otherwise pretty undeveloped.
I've also been to Iona! There was a bus trip through Mull (not that exciting) and then a ferry to Iona. There was some cattle land, but otherwise pretty undeveloped.
Iona is pretty much Scotland's open-air equivalent of Westminster Abbey - there are supposed to be 48 Dalriadan/Scottish kings buried there, as well as eight Norwegian and four Irish kings.
It also has some of the nicest beaches I have seen anywhere - although relatively few people ever go to them as they are mostly on the far side of the island from the pier and the abbey.
It also has some of the nicest beaches I have seen anywhere - although relatively few people ever go to them as they are mostly on the far side of the island from the pier and the abbey.
You're right, I didn't go. I bet it's windy, though?
It’s a great island.
We were just there in October. There is a ticketing system now with timed entry, so get your tickets in advance. It’s reasonable. Like 10 Euro or something. We got there later in the day and it was sold out, but my fiancé was able negotiate her way in :) She loved it! The rest of the library looked really cool too.
I once read that the Book of Kells has a feature that can usually not or only under ideal circumstances be observed on a digital reproduction or photo: Some narrow lines of the drawings produce optical illusions when seen from a typical reading distance. It is supposed to be a kind of "virtual" glowing colours between the lines that seem to disappear when you focus on them. -- Can anyone here confirm this?
I’ve seen it in person. At that time (90s) they had it open to one page, and would turn the page every week or so.
Unfortunately when I was there some clueless old codger decided to take a picture with a 35mm camera, leading to a massive flash, after all the signs telling everyone not to. It really brought home how much safer these artifacts are when the idiot public has no access.
Unfortunately when I was there some clueless old codger decided to take a picture with a 35mm camera, leading to a massive flash, after all the signs telling everyone not to. It really brought home how much safer these artifacts are when the idiot public has no access.
View it online https://digitalcollections.tcd.ie/concern/works/hm50tr726?lo...
The queues to see it in Dublin can be long.
The queues to see it in Dublin can be long.
No queues anymore, You need to choose a time when you book your ticket and there is a set number of tickets for each time slot.
Is this for the ‘experience’?
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/jan/04/book-of...
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/jan/04/book-of...
No that’s something else.
For anyone else interested, and to clarify, "the Book of Kells experience" is to stand in for the exhibit in the Old Library while it's closed for renovations until 2025 [1].
Rather than and Old Library, it's a huge red prefab building in New Square. Might not be quite as impressive as the original tour.
1: https://www.tcd.ie/old-library-campaign/faq/
Rather than and Old Library, it's a huge red prefab building in New Square. Might not be quite as impressive as the original tour.
1: https://www.tcd.ie/old-library-campaign/faq/
If you've ever got the occasion to visit Phœnix, AZ, there is a permanent exhibition which includes a full-colour facsimile, and entry is always free of charge.
https://www.azirish.org/events-and-programs/exhibitions/book...
https://www.azirish.org/events-and-programs/exhibitions/book...
I don't think I've seen a very high-res/non-blurry digital version of it online - bit of a shame, given how much is going on on some of the pages.
It's really gorgeous in person, and the Trinity Library itself is an absolute must-see if you're in Dublin and love books.
I think the library is far more impressive than the book itself. It felt sacred.
The library was the inspiration for the Jedi library in Star Wars movies. Inspiration as in basically a remake of the library.
It's absolutely breathtaking in person
It's absolutely breathtaking in person
My daughter has a reproduction, and I've enjoyed many hours of looking at the illustrations. My girlfriend and her best friend went to see it at Trinity last year. I'm jealous.
I had a Book of Kells colouring book when I was a child, I really loved it. Such beautiful designs.
The etymology of miniature was news to me - South Asian artists have been decrying the term as colonial as of late and this provides some important context
What? Miniature is colonial?
Please let me introduce you to the concept "Persian Miniature", it even has a Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_miniature
There is also the equally (if not more) well-known concept of "Chinese Miniature Painting". Example: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/36047
Both of these traditions are very established in Art History and any hypothetical tie to Western colonialism is, well, fully absent. That said, do a search using your favorite search engine. Miniature is not exactly a niche concept, so you will find lots and lots of great (small) stuff.
Please let me introduce you to the concept "Persian Miniature", it even has a Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_miniature
There is also the equally (if not more) well-known concept of "Chinese Miniature Painting". Example: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/36047
Both of these traditions are very established in Art History and any hypothetical tie to Western colonialism is, well, fully absent. That said, do a search using your favorite search engine. Miniature is not exactly a niche concept, so you will find lots and lots of great (small) stuff.
You had better tell Shahzia Sikander that.
Do you have any more information on this? It sounds just too crazy to be true.
It was a note posted at this exhibition - https://www.risd.edu/news/stories/shahzia-sikander-extraordi...
Here's a glimpse at the (fascinating) production process, in medieval conditions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVEInhJu0Q
Not to be confused with R.A.Macavoy's time travel novel, "The Book of Kells".
I saw the book in 2017, the whole of trinity college library is just gorgeous.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/470306
If you're ever in NYC, do yourself a favor and make your way up to The Cloisters - it's housed there. Very cool museum even aside from this.