However, recent examinations of the Gospels have shown that “…the Venerable Bede, author of the first English history book, is now thought likely to have been involved in producing the masterpiece” (Ezard 3), which would place date of production at the later end of the time range. The colophon’s basic information has rarely been questioned rather, the precise date of production is held under the greatest scrutiny. The colophon also states that-prior to Aldred’s translation-another bishop, Ethelwald, had “…pressed it on the outside and covered it”, while Billfrith the anchorite had “…adorned it with gold and with gems and also with gilded-over silver” (Backhouse, 7). The Lindisfarne colophon was written by a priest named Aldred about 250 years after the Gospels’ production, during the time that he was translating the Latin text into the vernacular Anglo-Saxon (Backhouse 7). This information is gleaned from an addition at the Gospels’ end called a colophon, where the author and those who have made subsequent corrections are identified.
Calkins notes, “Decoration has become text and text has become decoration” (64).Īlthough the illuminator of the Lindisfarne Gospels is officially undetermined, it is widely accepted that they were written by “…Eadfrith either just before 698, when he became bishop and abbot of Lindisfarne, or between 698 and 721, the date of his death, while he occupied those offices” (Calkins 63). The Lindisfarne Gospels is one of the best examples of this evolution, where, as Robert G. As Insular artwork evolved, interlace became more and more integral to the overall design of an illuminated manuscript. Interlace itself is thought to have “…been imported directly from Egypt” (Nordenfalk 14), although there are also limited examples of its use in Italian and Byzantine artwork. Both abstract geometric designs and animal shapes were created using interlace, which was “…primarily a filler ornament” (Nordenfalk 14) during the earliest stages of Hiberno-Saxon manuscript production. In general terms, interlace is the formation of complex geometric patterns using bands that are braided, looped, or twisted around one another. Traditional Hiberno-Saxon art is primarily characterized by a technique called interlace. Within British and Irish monasteries, a style of art referred to as Hiberno-Saxon developed, so named because “…Hibernia was the Roman name of Ireland”, although this style has also been referred to as “…Insular, to denote the Irish-English islands where it was produced” (Kleiner 288-9).This unique style would lead to an extraordinary book called the Lindisfarne Gospels, which not only represent one of the finest examples of Hiberno-Saxon illuminated manuscripts, but also show how medieval artists were able to seamlessly integrate new Christian imagery with the more established animal-interlace designs of Northumbria. The location of production, Northumbria, more specifically Lindisfarne, undoubtedly influenced the manner in which illuminated manuscripts were made. Both Lindisfarne and Iona would become “…the most important centers of artistic production of the early medieval period in northern Europe” (Kleiner 288). Located on a “…small outcrop of land, now known as Holy Island” (Backhouse 7), Lindisfarne monastery quickly grew into a core of Christian learning. Saint Columba established a monastery on the Scottish isle of Iona in 563, where he converted the Picts these monks would later establish the monastery of Lindisfarne (Kleiner 288). Christian missionaries began converting the Celtic people of Ireland as early as the fifth century, and early Irish monks were among the first to spread Christianity to Britain and Scotland. The region known as Northumbria lies along the northwestern coast of Britain and Scotland, adjacent to the North Sea. Exploring Meaning – The Lindisfarne Gospels
Furthermore, the Lindisfarne Gospels represent the emergence of a singular English “identity” in the illuminated manuscripts of early Christianity, reflecting both the historical and religious contexts that shaped it.
This unique style demonstrates how medieval artists were able to seamlessly integrate new Christian imagery with the more established animal-interlace designs of the Scottish and British Isles the famous cross-carpet pages and the portraits of the Four Evangelists best show this technique. The Lindisfarne Gospels exemplify traditional Hiberno-Saxon illuminated manuscripts from the late seventh and early eighth centuries in the use of interlace to form abstract designs and animal patterns, in addition to Christian iconography throughout.
0 kommentar(er)
