Preacher delivering a sermon

Editor: This intriguing woodcut, "Preacher delivering a sermon," artist unknown and undated, from the Harvard Art Museums, strikes me as a stark, almost severe image. What stories do you think it's trying to tell us? Curator: Well, to me, it whispers of societal order and perhaps a touch of…unease. The preacher, elevated, almost seems to be holding back the crowd, doesn't he? What do you make of the little vignettes outside the doorway? Do they offer a respite, or are they part of the same story? Editor: Now that you mention it, they do feel connected, like different acts in the same play! Thanks, I’m seeing this with fresh eyes.