Letter A en letter B 1627

Lucas Kilian produced these engravings of the letters A and B in Augsburg, Germany, around the year 1600. This was a time when the printing press was still a relatively new invention and the form of the printed word was undergoing experimentation. Kilian's prints reflect the exuberance of the late Renaissance, when printed ornament was in high demand for luxury book production. The letters are presented as elaborate fantasies, teeming with cherubic figures and swirling foliage. The letter ‘A’ features cherubs carrying the weight of the world, while the letter ‘B’ has a small nude statue perched on top. Prints like these could circulate widely, and would have been used by artisans as templates for their own work in other media. Understanding the role of the printmaker in disseminating visual ideas helps us to appreciate the institutional conditions in which these images were produced and consumed. We can better understand the social life of images through careful investigation of period books, documents, and archives.