Letter V - Urs Graf

A sixteenth-century woodcut initial letter V by Swiss artist Urs Graf, featuring three putti within a high-contrast, hatched design.

This woodcut print features an ornamental initial letter V, a form common in early sixteenth-century book production. Urs Graf, a Swiss artist known for his work as a goldsmith and printmaker, designed this piece with the characteristic vigour of the Northern Renaissance. The composition centres on the letter V, which is flanked and occupied by three putti. These figures are rendered with heavy, expressive line work that defines their musculature and movement within the confined square frame. The background is a dense, hatched black field, which pushes the white forms of the letter and the figures into the foreground. This high-contrast approach was a standard technique for woodcut artists of the period, allowing the design to remain legible even when printed on rough paper or used within dense blocks of text. The putti are depicted in dynamic, somewhat awkward poses, a hallmark of Graf's style, which often favoured raw energy over classical proportion. Such initials were produced for use in printed volumes, where they served to mark the beginning of a chapter or a specific section of text. The inclusion of playful, sometimes grotesque, figures within the structure of the letter reflects the period's interest in combining classical motifs with the more whimsical traditions of medieval marginalia. This print offers a glimpse into the intersection of fine art and functional design during the early years of the printing press in Europe. The stark black and white palette ensures the graphic quality of the letter remains the primary focus, while the figures provide a narrative element that invites closer inspection of the artist's technique.