The Lindisfarne Gospels: ‘everyone should see this show at least once’

This is a ‘landmark’ exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle

The Lindisfarne Gospels
The Lindisfarne Gospels retell the gospels in Latin on 518 pages of calfskin vellum
(Image credit: Laing Art Gallery)

The Lindisfarne Gospels are “a masterpiece of early medieval European book painting”, said Laura Freeman in The Times. Created in the early 700s by Eadfrith, bishop of Lindisfarne island in Northumbria, they retell the gospels in Latin on 518 pages of calfskin vellum. As many as 130 calves “would have been sacrificed” to make the book; only the finest skins were used.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up