Initial H c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have Initial H, by an anonymous artist. It looks like a woodcut, full of fanciful beasts and chubby cherubs. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It reminds me that even seemingly mundane objects like letters were once sites of intense artistic and cultural investment. These illuminated initials weren't just decorative; they signaled status. Who would have commissioned this, and what message were they trying to convey? Editor: Maybe it was for someone important? Curator: Exactly! Or perhaps an institution trying to project power and sophistication through its public-facing documents. It's about visual branding, centuries before that term existed. Editor: I never thought about it that way! Curator: The politics of imagery are always at play, even within the alphabet.