Letter V c. 16th century

Editor: This woodcut print, simply titled "Letter V," depicts what seems to be a scene from the Book of Judith. What strikes me is the dramatic narrative compressed into such a small, contained space. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The initial "V" isn't just a letter; it becomes a frame, containing and highlighting the story's emotional core. Notice how Judith, a symbol of courage, is visually linked to the letter. What does the placement and prominence of "V" evoke for you? Editor: Perhaps victory or valor? It's interesting how the artist uses a letter, a symbol of language, to frame and amplify a visual narrative. Curator: Precisely. And this fusion of text and image invites us to consider how stories persist and evolve through symbolic representation across generations. A lasting image, indeed.