Leave II c. 16th century

Editor: So, this is "Leave II," by an anonymous artist. It's held at the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like a page of elegant script. It has a cool, aged, almost mystical vibe to me. What jumps out at you? Curator: It whispers secrets, doesn't it? Look at the dance of those meticulously crafted letters. It's almost musical! I wonder, is it a fragment of a letter, a treaty, or perhaps some long-forgotten liturgical text? It makes me feel like I’m holding a piece of history. The missing piece at the top is evocative, too, isn’t it? Like a broken promise. Editor: A broken promise, that's interesting! So, it's not just about the text itself but the story the paper tells? Curator: Precisely! The stains, the wear – they speak of journeys and tell tales of being held. Editor: Wow, I never thought of it that way. I was just thinking about the pretty writing. Curator: It's easy to get lost in the surface. But art, like life, is often about peeling back those layers, isn't it? Editor: Definitely gives me a lot to think about!