Saint Barbara (fol. XCI r) 1497

Curator: This small woodcut, "Saint Barbara," resides in a printed book page at the Harvard Art Museums. The image size is just a few inches. Editor: It's striking how such a modest image can evoke such a quiet sense of resilience. The halo and the wheat. Curator: Precisely. Consider how these books were produced. Manual labor was central to their creation and distribution; the image was carefully carved into a block, then printed. Editor: And Saint Barbara herself, a figure of defiance against patriarchal authority, resists forced marriage and adheres to Christianity. This is a powerful image of female agency in a complex socio-political landscape. Curator: The materiality of the print – the wood, the ink, the paper – speaks to the tangible labor behind spreading these stories, while also embedding ideological meaning. Editor: Yes, and even now, her quiet strength resonates, reminding us to consider the hidden hands and the narratives of resistance embedded within.