Hair clip based on a detail from the carpet page at the beginning of the gospel of john in the book of kells now housed in the library of trinity college dublin sometimes known as the book of columba this is an illuminated manuscript gospel book in latin containing the four gospels of the new testament it was created in a columban monastery in ireland and is believed to have been created c 800 it is a masterwork of western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of insular illuminationcos