Exploring the Lindisfarne Gospels

Begin by reading the brief discussion in your textbook of the Lindisfarne Gospels (pages 312-314). In this activity, you’ll look at it in much more detail. Go to the British Library’s website on the book: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/lindisfarne.html

Read through some of the information and then click on the “Turning the Pages” link at the bottom of the page. (or follow this link: http://www.bl.uk/turning-the-pages/?id=fdbcc772-3e21-468d-8ca1-9c192f0f939c&type=book (Links to an external site.) )

There, you will be able to view selected images from the manuscript (not every page of the book, but every page with significant decoration). Your textbook includes the portrait of St. Matthew (figure 11-8), but here on the website you can see the other three Evangelist portraits. You’ll also be able to see all of the carpet pages, all four initial pages, and some sample text pages. Go through the images in detail, spending at least 30-45 minutes zooming in and examining their details. Then zoom in and spend some time looking at the carpet page that is reproduced in your book (fig. 11-7 in your book, and fol. 26v on the website). Look at the image in detail. Write a response paper (300 words) in which you describe your experience looking at this page. You may find it helpful to think about or address some of the following questions (though you may write about anything related to the image):

Lindisfarne Gospels

-How do you think the artist went about constructing the design?

-How long do you think it would have taken him/her to draw this page?

-How many different colors are used in the image?

-Is the page perfectly symmetrical or are there departures from the symmetry?

-Try following a single line through the page. Is the experience immersive/meditative?

-Look for animal/figural imagery in the drawing. How prevalent/important is it?

-What is the figure/ground relationship between the cross (outlined in red) and the rest of the image? Does the cross seem to be coming out towards you, or pushing back into the background? Put another what, which parts of the page recede when you look at it?