X-radiograph(s) of "Ecstasy of St. Jerome"

Curator: Here we have an x-radiograph of "Ecstasy of St. Jerome," attributed to Bernardino Passeri. What are your initial impressions? Editor: The swirling forms feel very dramatic, but obscured. It reminds me of figures caught between worlds, a visual representation of transcendence. Curator: It's interesting that you say that. Images of Saint Jerome often functioned to validate sacred authority, especially during the Reformation. Editor: I see the upward gaze of the figures, the reaching hands. The very pose of ecstasy is a visual key to the divine. Curator: But consider the layers revealed by the x-ray. The visible wood grain and the hidden layers of paint—it is all so fragmented. Editor: So, the very act of revealing the underlying structure of the artwork adds new layers of meaning. Food for thought.