Initial I c. 15th century

Curator: This is "Initial I," an anonymous piece held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It strikes me as both rigid and organic. The letter itself is so formal, but the surrounding ornamentation feels incredibly alive. Curator: Right, the letter "I" is a pillar, but the flourishes imply a narrative of growth. These intertwined vines feel ancestral, almost like a family tree taking root. Editor: I read that ancestral feeling as one of authority. The letter marks a beginning, yes, but within a historical, perhaps religious, text, it signals a patriarchal lineage. Curator: It's interesting how these intertwined forms, these climbing vines, could also be interpreted as a form of visual resistance. Editor: In this context, I suppose any embellishment risks distracting from the 'Word' itself, a subversion of power, in a sense. Curator: I think it's this very push and pull that makes it so compelling, even centuries later. Editor: A single letter becomes a site for complex power dynamics, quite potent.