Ornament and Incarnation in Insular Art

Abstract

At first glance fols. 29v–31r in the Book of Kells appear to be unfinished, particularly when seen in relation to the exuberant decoration found throughout much of the rest of the book. This paper argues, based on visual analysis and codicological reasoning, that these pages were in fact intentionally made to look unfinished and that they served as a visual commentary on the text they accompany, the genealogy of Christ according to Matthew. A close reading of the “undecoration” of these pages raises broader questions about the place of the genealogy of Christ in early medieval exegesis and sheds new light on the tradition of the famous Chi-Rho pages. In addition, these pages indicate an iconographic association between ornament and Christ’s Incarnation that can be seen in the Book of Kells and related works. Finally, the “unfinished” borders of the Matthean genealogy can be interpreted as having a prefatory function, providing cues to the beholder about the role of the decoration of the Book of Kells and the proper way to read the Gospel text.