Letter M c. 15th century

Curator: Here we have an intriguing initial, simply titled "Letter M," an anonymous work held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: You know, it's got this wonderfully dense, almost overgrown feel. Like a secret garden bursting forth from the very structure of the letter. Curator: Indeed. As an initial, it likely served a highly public function. Such decorated letters often marked the beginning of chapters or important passages, guiding the reader. Editor: I imagine monks huddled in a scriptorium, painstakingly carving this. But it feels wilder than I would expect. Curator: Remember, the wild and untamed held different meanings for the medieval reader. The garden was often a contained space, a sanctuary from the world outside. Editor: It's a reminder that even the most ordered things can have a touch of the wild in them. I'll carry that thought with me. Curator: A fitting reflection on how context and perspective shape our understanding, even of a single letter.