X-radiograph(s) of "Madonna Enthroned" 

Curator: Here we have an x-radiograph of Raphael's "Madonna Enthroned," residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. What's your immediate reaction? Editor: It's like seeing a ghost of the original. The layered densities hint at the artist's process, the materiality almost laid bare. Curator: Precisely. This radiograph allows us to consider questions of artistic labor and the unseen. How does the act of revealing the underpainting shift our understanding of the image's meaning, its initial creation, and the story of the artist's work? Editor: Absolutely. And it raises the question of value. Is the finished artwork more or less "valuable" than this ghostly trace of process? It also speaks to the very nature of artistic labor and how it can be unveiled. Curator: Indeed. It urges a re-evaluation of the Madonna's cultural significance. Viewing it from a new perspective forces us to confront not only the historical context of the work but also our own biases and assumptions. Editor: A powerful re-contextualization through technological means. I'll never look at a Raphael the same way again.