X-radiograph(s) of "Maria Teresa" 

Curator: Here we have an x-radiograph of "Maria Teresa," attributed to Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo. Editor: Eerie! Like a ghost in a machine. You can almost make out a face and some kind of elaborate dress floating in this ghostly image. Curator: Precisely. These x-rays, at fourteen by seventeen inches, allow conservators to examine the underpainting and the artist's process without damaging the original work. Editor: It strips away the surface, the intention, and reveals the raw bones of creation. You wonder what secrets lie beneath, what changes the artist made, and why. Curator: Absolutely, and it's fascinating to consider how scientific tools reshape our understanding of art history and artistic labor. Editor: It's like seeing a portrait of the unseen. Makes you think about what we choose to reveal, and what remains hidden.