The Irish standard., 1912-09-07
Book of Kells in Trinity College
Said to Have no Superior
in the World.
Foreign Art Critics Examine it's
Pages Under the Glass Covers
For Months.
Far Ahead of Modern Skill in
Every Way is this Marvel of
Medieval Art

Miss Mary synon. of Chicago, has
contributed a series of letters from
ireland to the American press on the
revival of the Irish language and man
ufactures. In one of her letters before
starting for home she wrote the fol.
lowing on the ancient art of Ireland,
saying in part:
To artists and antiquarians the art
of Ireland has long been known as the
basis of modern art, since at the very.
opening of the historic period in Ire
land there appears well-defined style
of art, distinctly Celtic in character,
and of which no trace can be found in
any country except those visited by
the Celt. This style not only left its
impress on the art of these other
countries, but took root and t1ourished
only where the Celt found a home. The
occasional specimens of Celtic orna-
ment found by Swedish or French an
tiquaries in pre- Christian graves can
hardly be accounted for by the theory
that various men and various nations
placed in similar circumstances will
act and express themselves precisely
in the same manner. The only feasi-
bic conclusion of the prevalence of
Celtic forms through the other coun.
tries Of Europe is that the Celts
dropped seeds by the way, since the
evidences of Celtic art in the Irish
museums prove that the Irish devel-
oped the art to it's greatest height.
- In order to, appreciate the remark
able culture expressed by the art
treasures of these storehouses it is
necessary to realize that at the time
that some Of the finest of these exam
pies Of illumination and metal work
were executed in Ireland, the rest Of
Europe was in state of barbarisna
The disintegration of the Roman en-
pire had plunged the continent into a
darkness in which neither art nor lit.
on the extreme western edge Of Eu-
rope, isolated enough to work out her
own forms of art and to preserve them,
progressed until not later than the
eighth century, and possibly during
the seventh. there was made the won-
derful Illuminated manuscript of the
gospels. the Book of Kells. now in the
Trinity college library and acknowl
edged by scholars and artists as the
finest example Of it's kind in the world.
A study Of some of the pages of the
great book-one page is turned every
day and there are in Dublin foreign
scholars who remain for months in or
der to study the pages under the glass
covers-is certain to impress the OBJ
server with wonder that the progress
of centuries has not advanced art For
IN color. in form, in design, the Book
Of Kells has everything that modern
illumination, illustration, colorine and
design approximates-and a great deal
more. 1t is commentary on the book
and on modern art that copies made
Of it less than thirty years ago and
set close to it in the library, already
show evidence of fading colors, while
the book itself preserves unfadingly
Its splendid, softened shades of reds
and blues, purples and green's, yellows
and rose. al. .-... $:
The book is believed to have be-
lonsed to st. COLUMBIA, if it was not
actually written with his own hand,
and owes. it's title to the fact that for
centuries it was preserved as the most
valued treasure of the great Church Of
kells, the monastery of Kells having
been the chief establishment of the
Columbian Order in Ireland.
In 1906 the book was stolen from
the church, stripped of the gold and
precious stones that ornamented its
covers. and buried under some sois,
where it was found 'after forty days
and two months" USHER, Bishop Of
Meath. secured possession of it while
he was employed in collecting Irish
manuscripts. It passed with his IL
brary to Trinity college in 1861. The
book consists of. 33s leaves Of vellum,
measuring. twelve inches by nine. en-
sfoftunatel thSy binding of ths book