Initial A c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have an anonymous "Initial A" from the Harvard Art Museums. It feels like a page from a medieval manuscript. What visual traditions do you see at play here? Curator: The initial "A," beyond its basic function, becomes a vessel for cultural memory. The flora interwoven hints at the "tree of life," a symbol across cultures, while the letter itself might recall the "Alpha," the beginning. Do you sense a spiritual significance here? Editor: I didn't think about that! It is interesting how something so simple can carry so much weight. Curator: Indeed. Even without knowing the artist, we can read the echoes of shared symbols, revealing how meaning persists through visual forms.