X-radiograph(s) of "Madonna Enthroned" 

Editor: This is an x-radiograph of "Madonna Enthroned" by Cimabue. It feels almost like an archaeological record. What can we learn by looking at the materials through this lens? Curator: Well, think about the labor and value embedded in those materials. The wood panel, the pigments, the gold leaf, each represents a different kind of extraction and transformation. How does seeing the materials themselves change our understanding of Cimabue's artistic process and the original painting’s cultural value? Editor: That makes me think about the hidden labor and the systems of trade necessary to create this religious icon. Thank you for this insight! Curator: And how this x-ray itself becomes a new kind of artifact, a record of both creation and investigation.