X-radiograph(s) of "Children of Charles I" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Children of Charles I," originally painted by Anthony van Dyck. The artwork is preserved at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's eerie, almost ghostly. The shapes are recognizable as figures, but the monochromatic palette and blurred details give it a distant, dreamlike quality. Curator: Indeed, the X-ray reveals the artist's process, changes made beneath the surface, the materiality itself. It’s fascinating how the image shifts from royal portrait to an almost clinical study. Editor: The children of Charles I lived through tumultuous times leading to the English Civil War; seeing them rendered like this, devoid of color and seemingly fragile, underscores the vulnerability of their position, and their very lives, within a deeply fractured society. Curator: Absolutely. The political context, the instability of the monarchy... This radiograph provides a unique lens through which to examine the portrait and its subjects. Editor: It prompts us to question not just artistic intention but also the historical forces at play, and how those forces shaped the lives of these children, and how they continue to shape our understanding of art.