Kruisdraging 1490 - 1503

This small woodcut, *Kruisdraging*, was created by the Master of the Delbecq-Schreiber Passion. Woodcut is a relief printmaking technique, meaning the artist carves away the areas that will not hold ink, leaving the design raised on the block’s surface. The block is then inked and pressed onto paper. Look closely, and you can appreciate the way the material properties of the wood itself have influenced the image. Notice the linear quality of the design, the sharp contrast between black and white, and the slightly rough texture of the paper. The process of woodcutting has deep social significance. It's a relatively accessible medium, requiring simple tools and materials, and capable of producing multiple copies. In the late medieval period, woodcuts were often used to disseminate religious imagery and texts to a wide audience, contributing to a democratizing effect of visual culture, making art available beyond the elite. By attending to the materials and processes of production, we gain insight into the social and cultural context in which *Kruisdraging* was created. It reminds us that art is not just about the image, but also about the labor and the means of its making.