X-radiograph(s) of "Female Portrait" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Female Portrait", originally painted by Ferdinand Bol. The work resides here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s haunting; a ghostly figure barely visible through the layers. The underlying structure becomes the focal point. Curator: Indeed. This image unveils the hidden underlayers, the artist’s process made bare. It's fascinating to consider what Bol might have been trying to obscure. Editor: X-rays often bring to light hidden symbols and changes. Does this process tell us anything about how the image might have been interpreted in its own time? Curator: What strikes me is how this process deconstructs notions of beauty and representation, pushing us to question not only the portrait’s history but also its future. Editor: It invites a dialogue across centuries, between the artist’s intent and our contemporary gaze.