Letter P 15th-16th century

Curator: Here we have an initial, a "Letter P," from an unknown artist. The print comes to us courtesy of the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My first impression is...contained chaos. The crisp lines, the orderly foliage bordering the "P," but then those feathery, almost frantic birds packed within. Curator: The birds—perhaps partridges—are a common motif in illuminated letters. Birds often symbolize the soul, or spiritual aspiration. Is there a yearning here? Editor: Or, perhaps, simple abundance? Those birds look like they're about to burst out of the letter. It’s like the artist is saying even a single letter can hold a whole world. Curator: It's interesting that you say that. Consider the cultural impact of the printing press itself. The ability to produce and disseminate knowledge was a sort of explosion, wasn't it? Editor: Absolutely. It makes you wonder what text this "P" was meant to introduce. What world did it unlock? Curator: A simple letter, yet it evokes so much. Editor: Precisely, a small window into a much larger world.