The woodcut and the book of hours:
the technology of image reproduction in the first printed books
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2178-2911.2022v25espp421-444Abstract
This research deals with the first printed books, the incunabula. The typology chosen was the Book of Hours, a fully image decorated prayer object used in secular context. Two books were studied: the Horae ad usum Romanum of parchment (1493) and the Devote ghetidē vanden levē en̄ passie ihū cristi of rag paper (1498). The aim was to compare the graphic solution in the two editions, related to visual memory the reiteration of woodcut engraving, the colour use, emphasizing the medieval knowledge and praxis. The result shows that despite the reproductive possibility of the printed image with the cost reduction, this resource was little used in the works and the visual aesthetics served different audiences.