Letter R c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have an intriguing woodcut initial, the Letter R, by an anonymous artist. I'm struck by the presence of Death within the letterform. What do you make of this image? Curator: The danse macabre motif was a common memento mori symbol. It's fascinating to see Death integrated so directly into the alphabet, a cornerstone of culture. What continuity do you see between past and present? Editor: I guess reminders of mortality were more explicit then. Curator: Indeed. Notice how the skeleton interacts with tools. Those were signs of labor and also agriculture, which has a connotation to nature, and to time. Are these symbols still effective today? Editor: I think the raw image of death always gets our attention. I learned how symbols change over time. Curator: And how they reflect our shared human anxieties.