Song of Praise in Heaven over the Fall of the Whore of Babylon; The Wedding of the Lamb from an Apocalypse block book, 2nd edition 1440 - 1450

This woodcut, printed around 1430, comes from an anonymous edition of the Apocalypse. It is made using a process of block printing, where each page is carved from a single block of wood. Look closely and you will see the marks of this labor-intensive process in the coarse lines and somewhat simplified forms. Unlike later printing methods that relied on movable type, each image and text block had to be individually carved, making the production of these books a significant undertaking. This would have involved not only the artist who designed the composition, but also skilled woodworkers and printers, all working collaboratively. The imagery is vivid, depicting scenes from the Book of Revelation, including the fall of Babylon and the wedding of the Lamb. The colors would have been applied by hand after printing, adding another layer of craftsmanship. The physicality of the woodcut, its texture and the directness of its carving, bring us closer to the historical context. It is an object made through collective effort, reflecting the social and economic conditions of its time, and blurring the line between craft, art, and early industrial production.