Sermones, folio 5v

In twelfth-century Europe, manuscripts were largely produced by and for monks and monasteries. This copy of the sermons of Saint Augustine came to the Library of Trinity College Dublin in 1626 but was once in the possession of the Tironensian abbey of Kelso, Scotland. The book is decorated with arabesque ornament and initials which feature numerous recurrent motifs including bearded human heads, animals (such as dogs, fish and birds), as well as altercations between man, beasts and other fantastical creatures.