Cut with Swans on Page with Border, Border on Reverse c. 16th century

Curator: This is a print called "Cut with Swans on Page with Border, Border on Reverse," created by an anonymous artist. It is part of the collection at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's so intricate! The whole piece feels allegorical, almost like a miniature stage design for a morality play. Curator: The text references heraldry, noting that while some coats of arms feature beasts like eagles or lions, poets prefer the swan. It implies an aesthetic and symbolic preference for purity and grace. Editor: The swan, of course, has long been linked to Apollo and poetry itself. It’s interesting that the border includes both grotesque and angelic figures—a tension mirrored by the text below. Are poets divine or monstrous, or both? Curator: Right, this tension between ideal beauty and the grotesque, the Apollonian and the Dionysian, underscores the complexity of artistic identity and the legacies inherited by poets. Editor: A fruitful paradox to contemplate! The enduring power of symbols to navigate complex identities is beautifully captured in this print.