X-radiograph(s) of "Still Life with Fruit and Oysters" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Still Life with Fruit and Oysters" by Pieter de Ring, held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Whoa, it looks like a ghostly grid, almost like a deconstructed painting itself! What's with all the stripes? Curator: That's the lead within the wooden support structure. X-rays let us see what’s beneath the surface. It reveals secrets about the materials, construction. Editor: So, it's not just about admiring the surface; it's about dissecting its history, the literal nuts and bolts, or wood and lead, in this case. Makes you think about what we consume, artistically and otherwise. Curator: Exactly. The painting’s skeleton revealed. It certainly gives you a new appreciation for the artist’s process, doesn't it? Editor: It does. Kind of makes me want to x-ray everything!