X-radiograph(s) of "Portrait of a Youth" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Portrait of a Youth", attributed to the School of Agnolo Bronzino, held at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a peek beneath the surface, quite literally! Editor: My immediate impression is one of almost clinical detachment, but the grid-like structure is oddly compelling. What do you make of this abstraction? Curator: The underlying structure reveals much about the artist's technique, doesn't it? It shows how the panels were constructed and joined. Editor: Yes, but the radiographic image creates a visual metaphor, uncovering hidden layers of history and meaning connected to a lost image. Curator: Indeed, the image's symbols are now ghosts. The material understructure becomes the true subject, replacing representational fidelity. Editor: Such striking insight! Thank you. This technical view gives a new depth to our sense of historical art.