Jael Killing Sisera c. 1460

This image, "Jael Killing Sisera," likely dates from the medieval period, and was made with ink on parchment. It depicts a story from the Book of Judges: Jael killing Sisera with a hammer and tent peg. Consider for a moment the context in which this image was made. The parchment itself would have been painstakingly prepared, the ink carefully mixed. The artist would have been trained in the application of these materials. And, of course, so too would those trained in war. The hammer wielded by Jael is an everyday object turned into a weapon. Think of the physical labor involved in striking the killing blow, and the labor it took for the hammer to be made in the first place. Ultimately, what we see here isn't just a depiction of violence, but a testament to the transformative power of tools, materials, and the social contexts that give them meaning. This image invites us to consider the complex relationship between craft, power, and the stories we tell about ourselves.