Letter L: rankenornament 1500 - 1556

This tiny woodcut of the letter L, teeming with plants and leaves, was made by an anonymous artist. In the absence of firmer dating, we can still see how the image creates meaning through visual codes. The form of the letter and the style of the ornament point to the artistic culture of Northern Europe and the Holy Roman Empire. The image emerges from a dense field of foliage; this links it to the medieval tradition of illuminated manuscripts where the opening letters of a text are often made larger than the rest and filled with elaborate designs. Printing of books was initially seen as a threat to the dominance of the church. The early history of printed books can be seen as a struggle between conservative and progressive forces. Close study of surviving examples of early printed books, along with related drawings and engravings, help us to understand better the institutional context of the art. Only then will we fully understand the meaning of the art.