Matthew Book Of Durrow Analysis

Matthew in the Book of Durrow The Book of Durrow, being one of the oldest illuminated gospels known in Insular manuscript work (Newman) is a celebrated piece of historical work throughout Ireland. The origin, still in dispute, is likely to have been the monastery of Durrow, County Offaly (Newman) during the late 7th century. Today, it is held in The Book of Kells museum at Trinity College where many come to view the incredible artwork and script, including that of St. Matthew. The figure of St. Matthew is one of the four gospels within the The Book of Durrow and is the only book without a carpet page, which is a decorative page preceding any text (Henderson). This added to the vibrant display throughout the book and was a key feature to allow the reader to know that they were reading a different gospel. Another feature of

His figure is one that has an incredible amount of symbolism in it that creates a greater meaning when looking at the art thoroughly. The artist incorporates Celtic, Germanic and Mediterranean influences to show that during this time period not only was goods being traded, but also the incorporation of different art styles. Overall, we can see that the time and effort put into the specific stature, colors used, hair style chosen a detail within his face, all add up to create a religious man that is showing that he is part of the Christian elite, looking past this world onto something greater while inviting you to continue on through the book to read the gospels. His figure weaves a story that adds to the Book of Durrow and creates a flow to the book that only adds to Matthew’s gospel. Many countries were contributing factors to the figure of Matthew and illuminated his complexity at the time and even now his figure is seen as holding an important position in the insular manuscript series for all time