X-radiograph(s) of "Death of the Virgin" 

Curator: Here we have an X-radiograph of "Death of the Virgin," by Andrés Marçal de Sas, held in the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: Immediately, I am struck by the ethereal quality of this image. It almost feels like viewing a ghost. Curator: Radiography offers a glimpse beneath the surface, revealing the artist's process, the layers of paint, and even alterations made over time. These diagnostic views are invaluable for art historians. Editor: You can almost see the composition dissolving. Yet, the underlying structure of repeating vegetal patterns anchors the entire visual field. Curator: Precisely. The X-ray reveals the material supports and the early stages of its construction, reflecting the artistic conventions and religious commissions of the period. Editor: It transforms the emotional impact. This radiographic view creates a strange, unsettling sense of both presence and absence. Curator: Indeed, viewing this, we not only see the art but also a cultural record of the methods and the visual culture of its time. Editor: It certainly underscores how much the physical properties contribute to this reading of mortality and spirituality.