X-radiograph(s) of "Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece" Possibly 13 - 15

Editor: Here we see an X-radiograph of the "Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece" by Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It's amazing to see beneath the surface like this! What can we learn from this technical view? Curator: This X-radiograph provides a fascinating look at the materiality and labor involved in creating the altarpiece. Consider the process: the wood panel preparation, the layering of paint, the artist's hand, but also the tools, the workshop setting, and the economy that supported this creation. Can we see evidence of changes or repairs? Editor: I think I see some inconsistencies. Curator: Precisely! This helps us understand the evolution of the artwork and the many hands, skilled and unskilled, that may have contributed to its existence. The X-ray reveals the social life of the object itself. Editor: That’s a really insightful way of looking at it. I never considered all the material processes involved!