Letter P c. 16th century

Curator: Here we see the “Letter P,” an anonymous work from the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It's so delicate! I'm immediately struck by the texture—the interplay of the dense, speckled ground against the clean lines of the letter itself. Curator: Observe how the letterform, in its essence, becomes a structural framework, a foundation for the elaborate floral and bestial motifs. The negative space is just as crucial in defining the composition. Editor: I wonder about the process, the carving of the block. The labor involved must have been considerable, and the resulting print disseminated widely, connecting the maker to a broader audience. Curator: Indeed. The composition subtly alludes to a symbolic garden, perhaps, with the “P” acting as a gate or portal. Editor: For me, it is also about the labor of literacy, how the means of replicating text transformed society. Curator: It's a compelling intersection of form and function. Editor: Precisely—material meets meaning, even in a single letter.