Ornamental Bird - Folio 21v

Drawn from Folio 21v of the Book of Kells, this luminous bird walks playfully across the sacred lettering — a characteristic flourish of the Kells artists, who wove symbolism and imagination into even the smallest decorative details.

In Christian tradition, the eagle symbolizes St. John the Evangelist, while birds throughout the manuscript serve as sacred messengers and signs of divine wisdom, transcendence, and spiritual insight.

Hand-painted in enamel on traditional Palestinian hand-blown glass from Bethlehem, this ornament unites Celtic illumination with ancient Middle Eastern glassmaking traditions.