X-radiograph(s) of "David Sewall" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of the painting "David Sewall," by John Johnston. The Harvard Art Museums hold this fascinating peek beneath the surface. Editor: Intriguing! The craquelure dominates the image. It looks like a dried riverbed, obscuring the portrait. Curator: The X-ray unveils the material history, the artist's process, and even past restorations. It speaks to the vulnerability of images over time. Sewall's image has undergone many changes, and this reveals those processes. Editor: Indeed. We see a structural breakdown of the painting itself. The composition, though abstracted, still suggests a strong, perhaps even stern, sitter. Curator: Considering portraiture's role in shaping historical memory, this X-ray adds another layer of interpretation—a spectral presence underlying the visible one. Editor: Fascinating! A glimpse into both the sitter's past and the painting's future.