Head-piece 18th-19th century

Curator: This tiny print, titled "Head-piece," is held at the Harvard Art Museums. It is the work of an anonymous artist. Editor: It's intricate, a miniature world teeming with strange creatures and foliage, yet somehow...balanced. Curator: Head-pieces like this were used to decorate the tops of pages in books. The choice of images and their placement within a text was a complex undertaking. Editor: Knowing it framed text, I see how it reinforces hierarchies of knowledge. What stories were elevated with these ornaments, and whose voices were marginalized by their absence? Curator: Precisely. The very act of embellishment carried political and social weight. It's all about the power of the printed word. Editor: Exactly. It’s amazing to see how such a small thing can open up so many lines of inquiry.