Letter H c. 16th century

Editor: So, this is Hans Holbein the Younger’s "Letter H," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like a woodcut, and it’s incredibly detailed. What strikes me is how the artist has incorporated all these little figures into the letterform. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It’s crucial to consider Holbein’s process. The labor involved in carving such detail into wood speaks to the value placed on ornamentation. Consider how this seemingly functional letter becomes a site of artistic production, blurring lines between craft and high art. Were these prints widely available or for a specific consumer? Editor: That makes me think about the economics of printmaking at the time. Thanks, I hadn't considered it that way before! Curator: Reflecting on production changes how we assess such prints.