Initial letter D with putto
ca. 1538
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 7/8 × 1 7/8 in. (4.7 × 4.7 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Anne and Carl Stern Gift, 1959
Accession Number
59.507.3(3)
Art Historical Context
Created around 1538 by the German artist Heinrich Vogtherr the Elder, this delicate woodcut presents an ornate initial letter “D” enlivened by a charming putto. Vogtherr, active during the Reformation, specialized in designs that merged typography with lively figural ornament, helping to beautify the printed page at a time when books were rapidly multiplying across Europe. Measuring just under two inches square, the tiny block was intended for use in printed books, where such decorative initials marked the beginning of chapters or important texts. The woodcut technique allowed these small mot...