Letter D c. 16th century

Curator: Oh, I am drawn into the darkness here. It's like a portal, you know? Editor: Indeed! This is an anonymous print from the Harvard Art Museums collection entitled "Letter D". One cannot escape the labor evident in the cross-hatching, and the elaborate design, right? Curator: It's almost teeming with life! A bestiary in miniature. The animal inside the letter looks like it is swallowing the frame. Do you see it too? Editor: The dragon-like figure? Sure. Look closely at the raw materials. The paper itself, likely pulped rags, speaks to a complex network of trade and production, doesn't it? Curator: Right, but I love the fact that it makes me feel slightly unsettled. The artist remains unknown, and the letterform, so contained, hints at something untamed. Editor: It is a reminder of how art, even in its smallest forms, is deeply rooted in the material world, labor, and exchange. Thank you for conjuring its magic for us. Curator: And thank you for grounding my flight of fancy with earthy reality.