Letter H c. 16th century

Curator: Here we have a print titled "Letter H," an anonymous piece held at the Harvard Art Museums. Something about it feels so medieval and mysterious to me. Editor: It reminds me of illuminated manuscripts, all that painstaking detail shrunk down. I find myself wondering, what sort of laborious process was used to create this block print? Curator: Perhaps a woodcut, given the visible lines and texture. The 'H' is so dense with vegetal forms, it seems almost to grow before your eyes. Editor: It's as if the letter itself is a miniature ecosystem! I'm also thinking about who might have commissioned it, and in what context it was meant to be used? Curator: Possibly part of a larger alphabet series, or a custom initial for a very fancy book. The repetitive nature of this initial design is interesting when considered with the labour to produce these in bulk. Editor: True, it highlights the intersection of art, function, and the somewhat hidden labor involved in these objects that often seem purely decorative. I hadn't thought about it that way. Curator: There's a whole world embedded in this single letter. Editor: Makes you look at your own alphabet a little differently, doesn't it?