X-radiograph(s) of "Mohammed II" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Mohammed II" after the original artwork by Gentile Bellini from the Harvard Art Museums. It's a ghostly, almost skeletal view. Editor: It’s unsettling. All the layers of history and the painting’s construction made visible in this stark monochrome. It makes you wonder about the sitter in the portrait under all this analysis. Curator: The X-radiograph reveals how museums analyze art through layers of history, examining not just the final image but the process, the materials, and even the artist’s changes. Editor: Exactly. It pulls back the curtain on the hidden narratives embedded within. It also raises questions about access and visibility, who gets to be seen and how. Curator: The history of portraiture is inextricably linked to power. Bellini’s original painting of Mohammed II in Venice underscores the diplomatic and cultural exchange between Europe and the Ottoman Empire. Editor: Yes, how power dynamics shape representation. Who commissions, who controls the narrative. This X-ray prompts us to consider not just what we see, but also what remains unseen, politically and socially. Curator: It gives us a deeper understanding. Editor: Indeed. A critical viewpoint.