X-radiograph(s) of "Trials of Silenus" 

Curator: Well, this is an X-radiograph of "Trials of Silenus," originally by Piero di Cosimo, and it's currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My first impression is spectral—almost like looking at a memory fading into the surface. The textures suggest layers of meaning and history. Curator: Absolutely. It reveals the underpainting and construction process, the literal material support beneath di Cosimo's composition. It's fascinating to see the raw wood grain revealed, a stark contrast to the finished artwork. Editor: And consider Silenus himself, often associated with intoxication and knowledge. The X-ray gives us a hidden glimpse into the very structure, almost like peeling back the layers of consciousness itself. The white in the image also holds symbolic value, purity, transcendence and perhaps also a death. Curator: It disrupts our traditional understanding of art, refocusing our attention from the artist's hand to the very materials and techniques that underpin it. Editor: Indeed. We're confronted with the physical object, and the symbolic weight it carries, so different from the finished image we might expect. Curator: It makes you think about art’s lifespan. Editor: And its hidden depths. Thank you.