X-radiograph(s) of "St. Catherine" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "St. Catherine," originally created by Bernardo Daddi and now housed in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Wow, ghostly! It's like a hidden world is being revealed, layer by layer. I can almost feel the weight of history. Curator: Exactly! X-radiography allows us to analyze the underdrawings and materials Daddi employed. It highlights the artistic process and how the work was constructed materially. Editor: It’s fascinating how technology lets us peek under the hood, so to speak. Though I must admit, seeing it this way shifts my focus from the subject to the object itself. Curator: Precisely. We see not only Daddi’s hand, but also the hands of those who prepared the panel, ground the pigments… the whole system of artistic production. Editor: A collective act of creation, then. It makes you wonder about all the forgotten artisans who shaped these masterpieces. Curator: Indeed. Looking closely, we gain new insights into the materials and labor that formed this piece. Editor: It makes me rethink the whole idea of "artistic genius"—it's so much more than that. Curator: I agree. It’s about artistic decisions but also the social and economic conditions of its time. Editor: A good reminder of the many hands involved. It's a nice shift in perspective.