Letter E c. 16th century

Editor: This diminutive woodcut, Letter E, by an anonymous artist, is packed with detail. The figure playing the harp strikes me as very classical in its imagery. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Indeed. The letter itself becomes a stage for a scene imbued with symbolic weight. Note the man with the harp – perhaps Orpheus, representing music's power to civilize. And the ass symbolizes… what do *you* think it symbolizes in contrast to Orpheus? Editor: Maybe the opposite? Instinct versus reason? This really makes you think about the duality within the letter. Curator: Precisely. The artist layers these images, echoing cultural memory within a single initial. I find it fascinating how something so small can contain so much. Editor: I agree; I'll never look at initial letters the same way again!