Benaiah Slays Lion in Cistern; verso: Christ Triumphs over the Devil c. 15th century

Curator: Isn't this striking? This woodcut, attributed to an anonymous artist, presents "Benaiah Slays Lion in Cistern," coupled with a depiction of Christ's triumph over the Devil on the reverse. Editor: My initial reaction? It's raw. The lines are bold, almost aggressive. You can practically feel the force of that club coming down on the lion. The social aspect comes into play with how common such illustrations were, and how their method of creation was quite manual. Curator: The material reality of the woodcut—the very act of carving away to reveal the image—certainly lends a visceral quality to the scene. It speaks to the labor involved, making visible the means of production. Editor: Absolutely. And those roughly hewn lines? They don't romanticize the violence. It's a brutal, almost unrefined representation, which serves to amplify the struggle portrayed. Curator: It’s interesting how a rather humble medium such as this aims to elevate the stories to allegorical heights. It makes you wonder about the people who were consuming such imagery and their relationship with the actual labor involved. Editor: Precisely. It makes the familiar strange, demanding we reckon with its production and its purpose. Curator: A testament to the powerful synthesis of craft and symbol.