The Book of Kells

Illuminated manuscripts are books of text which are supplemented by images, often with ornate border decorations on the page. They are traditionally produced on either parchment or vellum, a prepared animal skin, often made form calf or sheep,  which are then written and illustrated on.  They were a means of preserving not only scripture, but also classical literature and music.  These books were expensive, due not only to the fact that they were hand-written by monks and scribes since movable type had not yet been invented, but also because the animal skins consumed a long amount of time to produce.  Inks were also expensive and took a long time to prepare, and in cases suck as blues, like lapis lazuli, could only be acquired from a single area in Afghanistan.  Gold was either ground up and put into paint and painted on to the page, or flattened into a thin sheet and applied as gold leaf.  Manuscript production, in this fashion, lasted for almost 1,000 years, the earliest produced around 600 CE and the latest produce in the 1600’s.  Manuscripts were reported to be produced in antiquity, however we do not have any surviving examples of such.
Production of the pages was left in the hands of two sets of individuals. The copisti was a trained letterer, and the illuminator was responsible for the visuals on the page which supported the actual content written on the page.  The imagery was extremely important, as even individuals who were illiterate, which at the time was a large portion of the population, could also glimpse at the book and understand what was taking place on the page. Therefore the images themselves were also a means of educating individuals, similar to stained glass windows in churches.  These individuals labored in the scriptorium of a monastery, overseen by a seemingly all powerful scrittori.  Since they were handmade, every manuscript is different.  But, as time progressed, manuscript production eventually moved out of the monastery and into urban centers.  Eventually, with the advent and efficiency of movable type, the printed book became more popular because it was cheaper  and easier to produce.
The book of Kells was produced between 794-806 CE in Ireland.  The exact genesis of the book is unknown, but the most plausible theory is that it was began at a monastery in Iona and, after Vikings began raiding across Ireland, was then smuggled by fleeing monks to Kells where it was completed.  Also, more than likely, multiple artists were tasked with finishing the book.  It is supposed that as many as four separate illuminators worked on the manuscript, but since their names are not anywhere in the book, we may never really know.
The designs in the book are nothing if not complex.  They follow the traditional there are linear patterns that seem to weave together into familiar knot patterns.  There are bright colors used in these designs, and one can see how this design sense influenced the capitals within the text of the book.  Each one of these capitals seems to be a small illustration to themselves.  In the Celtic manuscript tradition, capitals would also sometimes tail off and turn into a miniature illustration of their own.  The book of Kells includes 2,100 such capitals.  The Chi-Ro (letterform created by combining the first two letters in the Greek word for Christ) page takes an idea of enlarging capitals to an extreme.  It is the only letterform on the page, but within the letterform there are illustrations of both human and animal life in addition to the intricate line work seen elsewhere.  The colors are somewhat faded now, but when they were fresh and new they must have been extremely vibrant, and when light reflected off of the ink and gold the manuscript must have seemed to literally be illuminated by something internal.
Text in illuminated manuscripts is sometimes somewhat difficult to decipher.  Traditionally, red dots were sometimes used to denote word breaks.  The Celts, on the other hand, actually began leaving space in between words in an effort to help the reader.  They used a half-uncial, rather than an uncial, script, so the script had the presence of ascenders.  The specific lettering technique with the addition of the word spacing became known as insular script.  Ascenders have a distinct angle, and frequently are adorned with triangles as a little bit of a flair.  Also, the script appears almost like a proto-script/calligraphic handwriting like we use today.  Letterforms are frequently connected not only at the baseline but also near the x-height/waist line area.
The Book of Kells is an amazing example of early book design.  The intricate design, mixed with the revolutionary insular script provides for a piece that was almost a culmination of a tradition.  Bold, illustrative capitals not only provide an entering point for the reader, but also are visually pleasing and convey an idea.  Had the Vikings not invaded and drove the monks out of their monasteries, one could only imagine to what lengths the Irish monks may have taken manuscript illumination.

Detail image of Chi-Ro page form the Book of Kells, depicting animal life.

Detail image of Folio 309r, showing some of the half-uncial insular script found within the Book of Kells.