Initial S c. 16th century

Curator: This is "Initial S", an anonymous work held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The high-contrast black ink gives it a very graphic quality, almost like a woodblock print. It feels quite medieval. Curator: Indeed, the materiality lends itself to that interpretation. Notice how the negative space of the "S" is populated with foliage. Editor: It looks like a secret garden, almost. The initial could represent so much—a surname, a place, a concept… how do we begin to unlock its mysteries? Curator: Perhaps by accepting that anonymity, and the unknowable context, is part of the work's statement. Editor: That's a formalist position, surely. It’s hard to accept that the context doesn't matter when you see the echoes of illuminated manuscripts. Curator: Perhaps they can coexist; the historical allusion and the pure aesthetic form. Editor: A fitting paradox for an object whose maker and meaning remain shrouded in mystery.