Letter Q c. 16th century

Editor: This is "Letter Q," by an anonymous artist, housed here at Harvard Art Museums. It's so small and intricate, almost like a tiny, secret garden. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: It whispers of illuminated manuscripts, doesn't it? I imagine monks hunched over desks, painstakingly crafting each letter. The 'Q' itself becomes a vessel for nature—vines, leaves, perhaps a hidden narrative. Does it feel incomplete to you? Editor: A bit, yes! Like a fragment of something larger. Curator: Perhaps that's its beauty. It invites us to complete the story, to imagine the words that follow, the world it once belonged to. It’s like finding a single, exquisite tile from a lost mosaic. Editor: I love that idea—a fragment whispering secrets. Thanks for that perspective! Curator: My pleasure. It's these little things that often hold the biggest stories, don't you think?