7 Date and location of creation

Approximate Date – c.800ad

Place of creation – probably Iona, a island off the west coast of Scotland

8 Number and type of folios

340 folios (680 pages) at this time; original number of folios are estimated at 370

Missing folios (approximately 30 folios):

One folio after f. 177

One folio after f. 239

Two or three folios after f. 330

Probably thirteen folios after John XVII, 13

Six to ten folios at the beginning

Probably contained a Novum opus and a Plures fuisse

At least three decorated folios

A ‘portrait’ in St Mark’s Gospel

A four-symbols page

A ‘portrait’ in St Luke

Pages are designated by their folio number as well as their position as recto (front of the page) or verso (back of the page)

9 Collation: an accounting of the number of gatherings (or quires) with specification of the number of folios in each quire

38 Quires

Quire 1: 3 folios

Quire 2: 9 folios

Quire 3: 10 folios

Quire 4: 6 folios

Quire 5: 12 folios (13 if you count folio 36 which was done twice)

Quire 6: 9 folios

Quire 7: 10 folios

Quire 8: 10 folios

Quire 9: 8 folios

Quire 10: 10 folios

Quire 11: 10 folios

Quire 12: 10 folios

Quire 13: 10 folios

Quire 14: 7 folios

Quire 15: 5 folios

Quire 16: 11 folios

Quire 17: 10 folios

Quire 18: 10 folios

Quire 19: 8 folios

Quire 20: 9 folios

Quire 21: 10 folios

Quire 22: 11 folios

Quire 23: 10 folios

Quire 24: 8 folios

Quire 25: 7 folios

Quire 26: 10 folios

Quire 27: 9 folios

Quire 28: 8 folios

Quire 29: 9 folios

Quire 30: 8 folios

Quire 31: 8 folios

Quire 32: 11 folios

Quire 33: 4 folios

Quire 34: 11 folios

Quire 35: 10 folios

Quire 36: 12 folios

Quire 37: 7 folios

Quire 38: 8 folios

10 Current dimensions

330 mm x 240 mm (13 X 9 Ѕ inches)

Originally 370 mm x 260 mm (14 Ѕ x 10 ј inches)

11 Number of text columns

Basically a one-column format. The first four pages of the first Gospel are written in double columns while the rest of the manuscript is written in long lines across the entire page.

12 Justification, or the measurement of the block of the text

16 or 17 lines of text per page

Towards the end of the book there are 18 lines of text per page

13 Illuminations, the number of full page miniatures and a brief accounting of the subjects or the cycle of subjects, for example, Old Testament, New Testament, Lives of the Saints, etc.; summary accounting of illustrations in the calendar (if applicable) and the major historiated initials

Illuminations

Birds and domestic fowl

30v; 39v; 47v; 64r; 64r; 67r; 69r; 76v; 86v; 87v; 104r; 111r; 115v; 120r; 174r; 174v; 182v; 187r; 191r; 201r; 212v; 213r; 242r; 264r; 268v; 271v; 273r; 273v; 274r; 276v; 279r; 282v; 310r; 310v; 311v; 314r; 326r; 329v; 335r

Christ

32v; 114v; 202v

Otters

34r

Snakes

26r; 52v; 56v; 57r; 60r; 226r; 248r; 260r; 262v; 282r; 282v; 287r; 337r

Fish

58v; 70v; 71r; 73r; 112r; 116r; 138v; 152r; 159r; 179v; 188v; 243v; 254r; 261r; 272r; 284v

The symbols for the four Evangelists, Matthew (the man), Mark (the lion), Luke (the calf) (2r; 201v) and John (the eagle) (2r; 2v; 4r)

1v; 2r; 2v; 3r; 3v; 4r; 129v; 187v

Lion

3v; 4v; 19v; 40r; 51v; 71v; 72v; 75r; 180v; 188v; 206r; 241r; 247r; 247v; 257r; 277r; 283v; 285r; 309v

Cats

34r, 48r, 67r, 71r, 83r, 183v, 272r, 280r, 293v, 329v)

Mice

34r; 48r

God

2v; 4r

Heads

8r; 16v; 41v; 53v; 79r; 100v; 102r; 103v; 170v; 183r; 245r; 253 v; 273r; 296v; 327v; 335v; 336v

Men

1v; 4r; 5r; 8r; 29r; 44r; 44r; 45r; 67r; 68v; 86r; 89r; 96r; 97v; 99v; 124r; 124r; 124r; 130r; 182r; 188r; 188r; 200r; 201v; 253v; 292r; 292r

Monks

182r; 255v

Women

275v; 286r

Dogs

48r; 295v

Goats

41v

Hares

48r; 131r

Horses

89r; 256v

Wolves

76v

Lizards

72r

Eucharist

292r, 27v, 32v, 200v, 260v, 266v, 292r

Moths

34r; 63r

Peacocks

55r, 72r, 186r, 234r, 256r, 258r, 260v, 268r, 270v, 271r, 277r, 278r, 278r, 309r

Stags

302r

Angels

3r, 3v, 5r, 7v, 27v, 32v, 32v, 48r, 88r, 183r, 285r, 285r, 285r, 285r

33 major decorated pages

All pages (except 2) are decorated to some extent

Cycle of subjects:

Canon Tables

Virgin and Child

Breves causae of Matthew

Argumentum of Matthew

Breves causae of Mark

Argumentum of Mark

Argumentum of Luke

Argumentum of John

Breves causae of Luke

Breves causae of John

Hebrew names

Four symbols

Portrait of Matthew

Genealogy

Portrait of Christ

Eight Circles

Chi-Rho

Arrest

Tunc crucifixerant

Vespere autem

Four symbols

Initium

Erat autem Hora tercia

Quoniam

Genealogy

Temptation

Jesus autem

Una Autem

Explicit-Incipit

Four Symbols

Portrait of John

In Principio