La Pratique de l'Aiguille, page 9 (recto) 1605

Curator: Looking at this piece, I immediately notice its stark, graphic nature. The figure seems both trapped and illuminated by this gridded space. What do you make of it? Editor: Well, what we're viewing is page nine from Matthias Mignerak's *La Pratique de l'Aiguille*, a book printed in 1605. It showcases the “Ecce Homo” scene through remarkably detailed woodcut and engraving. It resides now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Curator: "Ecce Homo," Behold the Man—pointing to Jesus Christ presented to the crowd before his crucifixion. Even without knowing the title, the iconography felt immediately mournful and captive, surrounded by implements that feel like tools of both torture and…labor? Editor: Exactly. The ladder, the rooster atop the column, even the subtle placement of what could be interpreted as whips or foliage—each symbol serves as a cultural touchstone. These books would have been circulating widely at the time, influencing societal perceptions of these narratives. Curator: This rigid, grid-like design is very interesting; it’s unusual for the subject. The grid is also softened in places that evoke texture, but this technique renders the figure flat, stylized. Mignerak really uses the gridded field to explore a kind of…psychological imprisonment here, the gridlines act as a visual manifestation of Christ's fate. Editor: Absolutely. Printmaking like this was so important. It took religious imagery outside of the church walls and directly to people’s homes. That had massive implications for personal piety and devotional practices in the early 17th century. Also, Mignerak produced a pattern book on needlework with biblical images, as was quite common at the time. Curator: It is intriguing to consider how those individual acts of domestic reproduction then shaped or solidified personal emotional connections to those figures and stories. This page is almost like a template of cultural transmission. Editor: It's a compelling artifact, showing both religious and social context of its time, offering insights into personal and public expression of belief. Curator: Yes, truly thought-provoking. It definitely offers more than a mere picture.