Letter C c. 16th century

Curator: Here we have an intriguing piece, "Letter C," from an anonymous artist, currently housed in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My first thought? It's playful, yet slightly unsettling. The linework's so precise, but the subject matter feels almost dreamlike. Curator: Indeed. The composition utilizes the letter form as a structural anchor, around which mythological elements are meticulously arranged. Note how the figure interacts with the very architecture of the letter. Editor: Right! The faun’s pose – it’s as if he’s both contained by and bursting out of the ‘C.’ It's a visual paradox. Makes you wonder about the boundaries between order and chaos, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely. And considering its function—likely as part of a larger illuminated manuscript—this tension would have served to elevate the text itself. Editor: It’s amazing how much narrative potential can be packed into something so small and functional! Curator: A testament to the power of form.