Carpet page of knotwork

This large drawing is one of Bain’s numerous posters, produced as teaching or lecture aids. It focuses on the various knotwork panels of a page in the Book of Durrow. Near the top left corner Bain fully colours a small part of the design. By spreading apart the interlaced strands he highlights the saltire cross at the centre of the knotwork motif.

The same knotwork motif is repeated eight times at a larger scale in the centre of the page. Three differently shaped crosses are highlighted in white, one above the other down the middle. They reflect the Christian trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Bain’s script, along the right side, highlights a link between the Book of Durrow and St Columba. It refers to an inscription on folio 247v, implying that the saint created the book of gospels. Nowadays it is thought that the name of Columba was added much later.

The religious community that held the Book of Durrow at the time must have changed the original text. Presumably it wanted to show a direct link to the greatly revered St Columba. The original word me (referring to the book’s scribe) was scraped or worn away and overwritten with Columba.