Initial A c. 16th century

Curator: This print, titled "Initial A" by an anonymous artist, features an elaborate letterform. It's held in the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: Oh, it's so delightfully overgrown! Like a letter that's decided to sprout vines and take root. Curator: Indeed! The letter A is embedded within a flourish of leaves and what appears to be a grotesque head at the base. Perhaps a symbol of growth intertwined with mortality? Editor: I love that, the dance between life and decay, all wrapped up in the most fundamental building block of language. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it, about all the hidden narratives lurking in plain sight? Curator: Absolutely. It reminds us how even the simplest forms carry layers of cultural memory and hidden meanings. Editor: Gives you pause before you casually type an "A," doesn't it? I'll never look at Helvetica the same way again.