Letter H c. 16th century

Curator: This is an intriguing little piece, simply titled "Letter H," by an anonymous artist, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's immediately striking how graphic it is—stark black lines on a pale ground. The composition feels incredibly balanced, almost like a heraldic emblem. Curator: Indeed, the 'H' itself acts as a frame, a structural support for the organic forms within. Consider how the vase echoes the shape of the letter, containing a riot of plant life. Does that visual containment signify something, perhaps about knowledge, or the home? Editor: Or perhaps it speaks to the very act of production? The artist's hand, carving those lines, imposing order, and transforming raw material—wood, perhaps—into this neat, contained image. Curator: A garden contained, yes, but also a life force springing from that initial letter, that initial symbolic act. I wonder what the 'H' signified to its original audience...home, history, hope? Editor: I'm more interested in the artist's process. To me, this isn't just about symbols; it's about labor, and the making of an image in a very specific material context. Curator: An image that continues to resonate, across time and through different lenses. Editor: Absolutely. Even a simple letter can contain worlds.