X-radiograph(s) of "Donor" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Donor," attributed to Hans Memling. The film itself measures 14 by 17 inches. It’s part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It's strikingly graphic; the grid creates a stark framework. Curator: Exactly! The radiograph reveals the material substructure—the wood panel and joins. What does that under-structure tell us? Editor: It reveals the unseen labor embedded within the donor's image. The skeletal framework, in its starkness, makes me think of the subject's vulnerability. Curator: The support becomes the story. The artist's process, usually hidden, becomes central. Editor: It is a wonderful reversal, stripping the veneer of the painting while revealing the painting’s hidden architecture. Curator: Indeed, a powerful way to reconsider the narratives we ascribe to historical portraits.