After the Book of Kells: Insular Art in Scotland and Ireland, c. 900 to 1900

Online, three half-days (Sat Feb 6th, Sat Mar 6th, Sat Apr 24th )

Examinations of Insular art typically focus upon the eighth and early ninth centuries; and yet, the Insular artistic tradition in Scotland and Ireland continued to flourish and develop into the early modern era. The reliquaries, monuments, and manuscripts made in the earlier period had long lives, with additions and transformations occurring across many generations and even into the twenty-first century. This material is less familiar to the general public, possibly due to antiquarian perception of it as a waning and degenerate manifestation of the art of the earlier period. As are composite objects, an assemblage of parts and repairs that span centuries, they have challenged traditional ways of categorizing, conserving and valuing artworks and monuments.

This conference shifts the emphasis to the later phases of Insular art, exploring the continuity and transformations of shared traditions evident from the medieval to modern day.

Organizers: Heather Pulliam, University of Edinburgh and Rachel Moss, Trinity College Dublin.