X-radiograph(s) of "Old Fiddler" 

Curator: We're examining an x-radiograph of the painting "Old Fiddler," originally by Adriaen van Ostade, found in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's fascinating. The texture of the canvas practically leaps out—you can almost feel the weave. It exposes the labor embedded in its creation. Curator: Absolutely. X-rays unveil so much about the painting's history, how artists reuse canvases, and the changing role of institutions in preserving art. Editor: I'm struck by the visible repairs, too, those dark, circular areas. They speak to the hands that attempted to sustain the material integrity of the work over time. Curator: Precisely! The politics of restoration—what to preserve, what to alter—is a powerful force in shaping our understanding of the original intent. Editor: It makes you consider all the unseen labor involved, not just in its initial making, but in the ongoing effort of maintaining it as a cultural object. Curator: Indeed. The layers of history embedded within the material itself become more accessible through this process. Editor: Seeing the evidence of the materials gives the artwork another layer of meaning.