Letter S c. 16th century

Curator: Before us we have "Letter S," an anonymous artwork housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's such a stark elegance to it. The black ink really pops against the off-white ground, giving it a bold, graphic quality. Curator: Precisely. The 'S' intertwined with those floral motifs…it’s a dance between structure and nature. The letter takes on a symbolic life. Editor: I'm thinking about the craft involved—the tools used to carve the block, the paper itself. What kind of labor went into something so small? Curator: Each curve speaks to the enduring power of the alphabet. It's a cultural cornerstone, reinvented here through decorative embellishment. Editor: It's really captivating, thinking about the physical making. It reminds me that even the most refined image has humble origins. Curator: I'm left pondering how this singular letter unlocks whole narratives, holding the potential for infinite stories. Editor: And I'm still marveling at how something so simple can reveal so much about the process of its making.