X-radiograph(s) of "Madonna and Child" 

Editor: This is an X-radiograph of "Madonna and Child" by an artist from the School of Piero della Francesca. It's ghostly, revealing layers beneath the surface. What can we learn from this process of revealing the unseen? Curator: Consider how this X-ray exposes the material history of the artwork. The layering of paint, the support structure, and any alterations made over time become visible. What does this reveal about the artist's process and the social context of the work's creation and possible modifications? Editor: So, beyond the image itself, we see the labor and materiality involved? Curator: Exactly. It challenges the notion of the artwork as solely an aesthetic object, highlighting the physical and material processes of art making, as well as its relationship to value and consumption. Editor: That’s fascinating, it really shifts my perspective on the final product. Curator: Indeed. It is a reminder that art objects are never just what they seem.