Letter L c. 16th century

Curator: This small print, simply titled "Letter L" by Anton Woensam von Worms, depicts a rather chubby child, almost cherubic. There’s something both unsettling and endearing about it, wouldn't you say? Editor: Unsettling is right. The crude hatching and the stark contrast feel almost brutal for such a sweet subject. You can see the labor etched into it; the wood resisting the blade. Curator: Well, the letter "L" itself is entwined with a tree branch, around which a serpent coils. The child, seated upon what seems to be a fish or a sea monster, grasps the serpent's tail. It’s a layering of symbols really. Editor: Look at the way the texture of the scales and the child's skin are rendered with the same marks. It collapses the boundaries between human, animal, and letterform. Are these prints meant to be seen as individual pieces, or are they part of a larger whole? Curator: Ah, that's the question, isn't it? These illuminated letters often served as the beginning of a chapter or a page. Each character has a cultural memory that extends beyond its utility. Editor: I see a direct connection to craft. Each letter is a testament to the physical act of creation, a tangible link between the maker and the material. Curator: It's a reminder that symbols, no matter how abstract, are rooted in shared human experience and carry a weight of history. Editor: Absolutely, and considering the means of production, it brings a human touch to something as seemingly standardized as the alphabet.