Letter N c. 16th century

Curator: Here we have "Letter N," an anonymous work housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s striking! The stark black and white, the almost crude carving technique… it feels so immediate, despite being a historical artifact. Curator: Indeed. Consider the context of such a piece. As an initial, it would have signified not just a letter, but status, literacy, perhaps even entry into a new chapter for its commissioner. Editor: Exactly, and the materials speak volumes. The woodcut medium – think of the labor involved in carving that tiny block! It brings a whole new weight to the idea of the 'N'. What was this block used to produce? Curator: We can only speculate now, but it would have been a tool, part of a larger system of printing and dissemination of knowledge. It demonstrates the power of the written word in society. Editor: Absolutely. And I love how the images – the figures, the bird, the dog – they all feel like they're bursting out of the letterform, pushing against its constraints. Curator: A fascinating tension, wouldn’t you agree? A letter, simultaneously a building block and a container of meaning. Editor: It really makes you think about the relationship between the artist, the patron, and the means of production – all embodied in this small but powerful image.