Border c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have an anonymous artwork, titled "Border." It's difficult to pin down a date, but just look at that fantastic, if damaged, page. It feels so old, I'm instantly transported to a Renaissance scriptorium, but the border is fascinating. What do you make of it? Curator: Oh, I love that immediate sense of history! That cherubic border, though fragmentary, sings of classical influences, doesn't it? Are those putti hiding amongst the acanthus leaves? It feels almost playful above the very serious Latin script, doesn't it? And the central mask, looking rather grotesque... Editor: Grotesque, yes! But also kind of cool? I'm wondering now about the contrast between elegance and the sort of weirdness of the border. It's not quite what I expected at all! Curator: Exactly! It's the visual equivalent of a wry joke in a stuffy lecture, isn't it? I wonder if the artist meant to subvert expectations, or if it was simply the style of the time. Perhaps both, in equal measure? Editor: That juxtaposition really makes the page jump to life! I think I see this piece with new eyes. Curator: Yes! I think this piece truly represents more than meets the eye, and it allows us to look at the past in new, exciting ways.