Illustration XIX c. 1489

Curator: This is Illustration XIX, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It's an intriguing piece made by an anonymous artist, we can only assume during the medieval period. Editor: My initial feeling is one of subdued tension. The figures seem confined within the frame, their expressions a mix of contemplation and apprehension. Curator: The use of woodcut printmaking is significant. The deliberate lines and texture, likely hand-colored, tell us much about the printmaking processes and distribution of religious imagery at the time. Editor: Absolutely. And considering its potential function as a devotional image, the piece likely served as a tool for reinforcing specific theological perspectives and social norms around piety and suffering. The suffering is palpable. Curator: Indeed, these smaller, portable images would have been circulated widely, allowing for personal and communal experiences of faith. Editor: Looking at it now, I’m reminded of the power of art to reflect and shape societal values, even—or perhaps especially—in anonymous works like this one. Curator: A great point, it's so easy to overlook the impact such a small illustration would have had.