#Illuminated manuscript book of kells crack#

Duggelin.įirst, he said, a special device was invented for the sole purpose of photographing the Book of Kells, which because of its fragility could neither be unbound nor pressed under glass for the purpose of taking photographs. The winding, ivy-like patterns of decoration are filled with thousands of miniature animals, plants and human figures intermingling with the elaborate calligraphy of the text.ĭuplicating such complex designs involved the intermingling of photographic, printing and computer technology with craftsmanship provided by experienced lithographers, according to Mr. The illuminations depict scenes from the life of Christ in brilliant color and intricate detail, on parchment, or animal skin. The original Book of Kells is a book of the Latin Gospels made by a group of monks at an Irish monastery around the year 800. Duggelin, a former data processor for I.B.M., is the founder of Faksimile-Verlag, which specializes in high-quality facsimiles of illuminated manuscripts. Indeed, Urs Duggelin, the publisher of the facsimile, yesterday described both the extraordinary powers - and the occasional failings - of the technology of facsimiles. ''But the existence of the book in this museum does not forfend a trip to see the original, to be in the presence of the actual manuscript made by medieval Irish monks.'' ''It will provide invaluable information, and is something any serious art library should have,'' Mr.

de Montebello said, would place the work in the library, where it would be made available to scholars and others interested in studying it. The finished work will be sold in a limited edition of 1,480 copies at $15,000 per copy. All 680 pages will be completely reproduced by 1990. Philippe de Montebello, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accepted on the museum's behalf the first four pages of the facsimile, which is now in production. The original Book of Kells, which is kept on display at the Trinity library, ''is so fragile that we almost never turn the pages, but for the first time ever it will be possible for people to turn page after page,'' he said.

''You don't need the original any more, because now you have the facsimile,'' said the librarian, Peter Fox.

#Illuminated manuscript book of kells crack#

They duplicated pages from the Book of Kells down to the last errant scribble, tiny crack of paint and subtle shade of color. On display at the ceremony, which was held in a spacious skylighted court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, were several pages of the facsimile, which were produced by the Swiss publishing firm Faksimile-Verlag Luzern. Accompanied by bagpipe music and a videotaped explanation of a complex photographic technique, the librarian of Trinity College in Dublin yesterday unveiled what he called the first ''true facsimile'' of the Book of Kells, the medieval Irish illuminated manuscript of the gospels that is one of the most famous works of its kind in the world.