Reply To: Illuminated Manuscripts

[Laura Barber]

The earrings in the jewelry of Queen Arnegunde were similar to popular Byzantine styles, indicating that they may have been imported. Many of the gospel books of the time also contained Roman, Classical, or Byzantine influences. The Book of Kells, for instance, contained rather elaborate drawings that were not (for the most part) directly related to religion. This is perhaps in an attempt to avoid the creation of graven images. Earlier periods were prolific in expressing religious imagery through depictions of the Virgin Mary and other saints, but the Medieval period begins to stray away from this. Byzantine art also contributed to the more flat features present in how humans were drawn in Medieval artwork, such as in the Gospel Book of Durrow.