Initial P c. 16th century

Editor: This is "Initial P" by an anonymous artist. It looks like a woodcut and features a letter "P" intertwined with floral elements. What's particularly interesting about this piece to you? Curator: Considering the context of its likely production, I wonder about the labor involved in creating something like this. Was it mass-produced for a specific market? What was the cost of the materials compared to the final product? Editor: That’s a fascinating angle. So you’re looking at it less as a unique art object and more as a manufactured commodity? Curator: Precisely. The materiality of the block and the process of its making speaks volumes. It also challenges the divide between "art" and "craft," wouldn't you agree? Editor: I never thought of it that way before. It definitely gives me a new perspective.