June 23, 2021
The 1,200 year old pages (known as folios) in the Book of Kells have been turned to reveal a striking new display. Visitors to the Old Library can now get a close up view of the richly decorated illustrations and dramatic symbolism in Temptation of Jesus (folio 202v). The episode is described later in the […]
October 2, 2020
The Book of Kells is so exquisitely painted that for centuries people have wondered about the source of its vibrant and varied colour palette. Alongside the indigo and azure blue we talked about in our last blog, the colours white, purple and pink also feature heavily in the famous book. Today, people often consider the […]
September 18, 2020
We wish to advise you that the Book of Kells and Old Library Exhibition will close from 19 September 2020 in response to government advice on limiting the spread of COVID 19. While our team was truly excited to welcome the public once again following lockdown, the welfare of our visitors, students and colleagues remains […]
Paintings in manuscripts, protected for centuries in bound volumes, are the best-preserved examples of how medieval colours were used. The Book of Kells is one such example, its pages featuring intricate illuminations in shades of blue, white, red, pink, green and yellow. One of the book’s most prominent colours is blue, which features on nearly […]