Canto VII. Ante-Purgatory / The Second Ledge; The Flowering Valley; Sordello Accompanies the Poets; Class 4 â€?The Negligent Rulers; Rudolph of Hapsburg c. 15th century

Curator: This page, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, presents an illustration for Canto VII of Dante's Purgatorio. Note the detailed woodcut illustration at the bottom. Editor: It feels like peering into a medieval dreamscape. The figures are so stiff, almost hieratic, and the landscape seems flattened, symbolic rather than realistic. Curator: The piece serves as a powerful example of early printmaking and its role in disseminating literature. The visible labor in the lines and the texture speaks to a particular moment in book production. Editor: Absolutely. And look at how the bodies are rendered—they're not just bodies, they're signs. This is about power, judgment, and the social order. Think about who had access to these texts and images. Curator: Indeed, the means of production and the act of consumption were heavily policed. Editor: Seeing this has been a reminder of how art can be both a reflection and a tool for shaping society’s values. Curator: I agree. It offers a lens through which to view the intersection of art, labor, and social commentary.