Illustration LXIV c. 15th century

Editor: Here we have "Illustration LXIV" by an anonymous artist. It looks like a woodcut. I'm struck by how this image of a scholar at work feels almost... clandestine. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The scholar's study is not a neutral space. Consider the sword hanging behind him: a symbol of power, and perhaps, the violence necessary to maintain the social order that allows for such scholarship. Who benefits from this knowledge, and at whose expense? Editor: So, it's not just about learning, but about the power structures that enable and shape that learning? Curator: Precisely. And that lens can change how we interpret the scholar's very act of writing. What stories are not being told here? Editor: I hadn't considered the power dynamics embedded in the scene. It gives me a lot to think about.