Battle of Hainaut, plate 3 from Historical Scenes from the Life of Emperor Maximilian I from the Triumphal Arch c. 1515 - 1520

This woodcut, "Battle of Hainaut," was made by Hans Springinklee around the early 16th century, using a painstaking process of carving an image into a block of wood. It’s one of a series celebrating the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Look closely, and you can see how the linear quality of the wood's grain influences the overall composition. Springinklee would have used specialized knives and gouges to remove wood from the block, leaving behind the raised areas that would receive ink. This required immense skill, a deep understanding of the material, and hours of labor. The printmaking process was crucial to disseminating imagery widely at this time. It allowed for the mass production of visual propaganda, helping to build Maximilian's heroic image and extend his political reach. We might consider how the labor of the artist and the mechanics of printing are here marshaled in service of imperial power. The final image is not just a picture, but also a product of its time, intimately connected to the social and political context of its making.