X-radiograph(s) of "Madonna and Child" 

Editor: This is an X-radiograph of "Madonna and Child" by Gentile da Fabriano. It's a fascinating look beneath the surface. What can we learn from this image about the artist's process? Curator: The X-radiograph reveals the hidden materiality. Notice the wood panel construction: The horizontal planks held together by vertical supports tell us about workshop practices, labor division, and the availability and processing of materials in Fabriano at the time. Editor: So, it's less about the image itself and more about its making? Curator: Exactly. The cracks and repairs also speak to the object's history as a commodity. Editor: I never considered art this way. Curator: It's about understanding art as a product of its time, shaped by material realities.