Near the beginning of the
ninth century A.D. at the scriptorium of Iona Irish monks created the
“Book of Kells,” one of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts in
the world. The four Gospels were inscribed on vellum in insular
majuscule script with pages of intricate illumination as well as
smaller decorations on other pages. Giraldus Cambrensis, a thirteenth
century scholar, wrote “...you might believe it was the work of an
angel rather than a human being.” The manuscript was moved from Kells
to Dublin in 1661. Today it is held in the Trinity College Library.
The image represented on the stamp is of the Virgin and
Child. The pose is formal and is influenced by oriental styles of
art. Two other stamps in the set have the same image.
The
stamp below displays the image of Christ Attended by Angels from the
Book of Kells.
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