X-radiograph(s) of "Elizabeth van Rijn (?)" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Elizabeth van Rijn (?)", attributed to Rembrandt. The Harvard Art Museums hold this spectral view. Editor: There’s an unsettling quality to it, like a glimpse behind a mask. I see the bare bones of the composition. Curator: Exactly. The monochromatic palette emphasizes the stark contrast between the denser, lead-based paints, and the relative transparency of other areas. Note the circular form, perhaps a tondo, contributing to the composition’s dynamics. Editor: That bright spot near the face feels particularly loaded. Is it a brooch, or some other symbolic element pressing through the image? The sitter’s identity, though uncertain, lends the work a mysterious aura. Curator: It could be a detail in the underpainting, or an area where pigment has deteriorated, revealing a layer of artistic intention. Editor: Layers upon layers of meaning and history. Curator: Indeed, an image revealing the image. Editor: How apt.