Book of Mulling

The name derives from a former notion that the scribe was the Leinster saint St. Moling (d. 697), founder of Tech-Moling (St. Mullins, Co. Carlow), whose subscription occurs in the colophon at the end of St John's Gospel: [N]omen scriptoris Mulling dicitur.

The decoration includes illuminated initials and three surviving Evangelist portraits: those of Matthew, Mark and John.

The robes flow around him, forming interlaced, almost geometric shapes, echoing those around the border.

In this case, John's halo, a marker of his holy status, breaks the frame created by the border.

The colors are faded, but the richness of this image is evident by the use of gold and the immense attention to detail, making this one of the leading examples of illuminated manuscript art from this period.