Insular art

Insular art is an artistic style of the British Isles, especially Ireland and Anglo-Saxon England, distinguished by intricate ornament in manuscripts, metalwork, and stone carving.

Interlace (art): A decorative pattern made from bands or lines that cross over and under one another. Interlaced bands are among Insular art’s most recognizable ornaments.
Book of Kells: An illuminated Gospel manuscript, probably produced around the late eighth or early ninth century. Its densely ornamented pages are the best-known expression of Insular manuscript art.
Hiberno-Scottish mission: The spread of Irish and Irish-influenced Christianity through Britain and continental Europe from the sixth century onward. Monastic travel helped carry Insular artistic practices between communities.
Carpet page: A manuscript page covered in ornament rather than continuous text or a narrative scene. Insular Gospel books use carpet pages to display intricate geometric and interlace designs.
Carolingian art: The art produced under the Carolingian dynasty, especially during the eighth and ninth centuries. Contact with Insular books and artists contributed to artistic exchange at Carolingian centers.
Celtic knot: A decorative motif formed from continuous interlaced lines, often arranged in closed loops. Knotwork adapts continuous interlace into compact manuscript and metalwork designs.
Lindisfarne Gospels: An illuminated Gospel book made at Lindisfarne around the turn of the eighth century. Its carpet pages combine Insular ornament with a Latin Gospel text.
Iona: An island monastery founded by Columba off Scotland’s western coast in the sixth century. Iona was a major center of Insular Christianity and manuscript production.
Illuminated manuscript: A manuscript decorated with painted images, ornament, or embellished lettering. Insular books are a distinctive regional tradition within manuscript illumination.
Book of Durrow: An illuminated Gospel manuscript, probably made in the seventh century and associated with the monastery of Durrow. Its ornament shows an early, influential stage in the Insular manuscript tradition.

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