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LindisfarneThe Lindisfarne, or Book of Durham, was produced on Lindisfarne, the "Holy Island" in the North Sea, from 698 - 721 A.D. by the monk Eadfrith. He completed both the calligraphy and illumination of this incredibly beautiful Gospel-Book that represents the fusion of Irish, Greco-Roman, and Byzantine motifs in the Carolingian style. The Evangelists are in the Vulgate order of St. Jerome: Mathew - man; Mark - lion;
Luke - calf; John - eagle. Later, the monastic scholar Aldred added the gloss between lines and in the margins. His 10th-century translation of the Latin text into Anglo-Saxon is the key to the history of the language, the earliest known written version of English. The elegant designs executed in a magnificent range of vivid colors, are based on classical, (Greek or Roman) models; letters were formed with slender, precise vertical strokes; embellishments include interlacing, whorls, trumpet patterns, and numerous depictions of humans and animals.
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