the Hiberno-Saxon style. The first is the use of red dots around the outline of the letter, done for the intention of importance, and the second is a technique in which the letters of words introducing a new section are formed in decreasing sizes (Meehan 17). Another notable feature of the Book of Kells are the pages known as the evangelist portraits and the evangelist symbol pages. There are four evangelist symbol pages, one each at the start of each gospel. These pages depict the four symbolic images of the evangelists: the man, the calf, the lion and the eagle. The artist of the Book of Kells did not merge these four symbols into one figure, as in some other early medieval interpretations. Rather, each evangelist symbol page shows all four symbols as separate but equal entities. According to Henderson, the constant repetition of these four symbols throughout the Book of Kells serves to unite the text. Thus, “they are, in their plentiful appearances, like a primitive litany of spell that evokes their four names, over and over” (Henderson 153). The Book of Kells played an important role in the development of art during this period. Although the decorations of these books were based on merging Christian and pagan motifs, the end result was the creation of an entirely new art form. The Book of Kells and other insular gospels of that time made an influential contribution to the further development of illuminated manuscripts. Thus, it is apparent that the Book of Kells had an important influence on later artists. In addition, because the Book of Kells provided an artistic treatment of the Christian gospels, it helped further the spread of Christianity in Europe. ...
