Describes how the monks of early Christian and medieval Ireland developed a distinctive artistic style for their manuscripts, and provides examples

This book presents a colection of colour pla tes from famous illuminated manuscripts that emerged from mo nasteries and island workshops during the 7th and 8th centur ies A.D., including the Book of Kells, the Lindisfarne Gospe ls, and the Book of Durrow. '

A practical and inspiring guide to creating beautiful illuminated pictures and patterns, including spiral designs, knotwork interlacings, zoomorphic ornament and more. Courtney Davis illustrates his techniques, showing how to build up and decorate an inspiring selection of Celtic designs. Taking his inspiration from Celtic art and historical manuscripts he interprets the designs, creating his own spiral, knotwork, zoomorphic and key patterns with an infectious energy and enthusiasm. Using bright, bold colours, and strong lines, he takes you through all the stages from creating a rough to decoration and the finished design. An invaluable book for all those interested in Celtic art, the origins and the methods of construction.

A comprehensive design source book of all types of Celtic illuminated letters by leading exponent of Celtic art, Courtney Davis. The 101 illuminated letters reflect the history of Celtic design from the earliest examples to Courtney Davis's own celebrated modern interpretations. Many of the illuminated letters are from, or inspired by, the famous Celtic manuscripts such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells. The 101 designs are all hand painted by Courtney Davis and printed in full colour. Each is accompanied by a black and white version of the same image on the adjacent page - perfect for scanning or photocopying for use on readers' personal art, design or craft project. The book contains two complete alphabets and the remaining letters are structured so that those most commonly used at the beginning of words are represented with many more examples than the least common letters. The introduction gives a brief history of the Celts and an explanation of the birth and development of their artistic style with particular relation to illuminated letter designs.

Excerpt from Celtic Illuminative Art in the Gospel Books of Durrow, Lindisfarne, and Kells Every nation there has been manifested, in varying degrees, a desire for decoration; and the objects selected for ornamental embellish ment, together with the type of decorative design employed, afford an indication of the character and pursuits of a nation no less than of the position it has attained in artistic achievement. The desire that books should be made beautiful is of great antiquity. Evidence of this is to be found amongst the most ancient civilizations: for example, an Egyptian papyrus is preserved in the Louvre at Paris containing a description of funeral rites pictorially adorned in colours, and embellished with gold. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The Book of Kells and the Art of Illumination brings together the Gospel of St. Mark from the 1200-year-old Irish masterpiece with a selection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts which demonstrate the legacy of Kells throughout the centuries, both in terms of Gospel illustration and of the illuminated book. Not only does the Book of Kells testify to the vitality of Celtic art in the Early Middle Ages, but its fortunes also reflect the turbulent nature of the period in which it was created. This was an age in which the British Isles were ravaged by Viking raids, and monastic settlements, the cultural heart of the country, up-rooted. Yet, against these odds, the Book of Kells survived. In later times it suffered further disturbances, and in the middle of the 17th century, during Ireland's battles with Cromwell, it was transferred from the ruined parish of Kells to Trinity College, Dublin, where ever since it has had a secure and distinguished home.