X-radiograph(s) of "Madonna and Child" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Madonna and Child," attributed to Dieric Bouts, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Ghostly! It’s like seeing the soul of a painting, all bones and whispers beneath the skin of color. Curator: Indeed. X-radiography allows us to peek beneath the visible surface, revealing underdrawings, pentimenti – the artist's second thoughts – and the very structure of the panel itself. Editor: It’s fascinating how this technology shifts our relationship to the artwork. Suddenly, it's not just an object of aesthetic beauty but an artifact with its own layered biography. Do we see evidence of the artist’s hand evolving, adapting? Curator: Absolutely. Examining details regarding the underdrawings provides new insight into how the painting was planned and then executed. Editor: There is something profoundly poetic about using modern technology to illuminate centuries-old artistic decisions. I will ponder on that. Curator: A fitting observation for an artwork that invites us to contemplate the passage of time and the secrets it holds.