Decorated Roman alphabet 1485 - 1499

This decorated Roman alphabet was made anonymously, using a relief printing process. The letter ‘S’ is densely filled with details, from the foliage to the heraldic beasts, that are made through cutting away at a block. Ink would have been applied to the remaining raised surface, and then transferred to paper. As a repeatable image, this points to a move toward mass literacy and book production. The block itself is made of a robust material, likely wood or metal. The carved forms have an appealing directness that reflects the relative ease of this method compared to intaglio printing, where the image is incised below the surface. Although small in scale, this ‘S’ reflects a huge amount of labor, skill, and time. By focusing on such prints, we can reconsider the value and function of the image, beyond traditional notions of artistic genius and originality.