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

Curator: This is a composite X-radiograph of "Madonna and Child", originally by Girolamo da Santacroce. It's held in the collection of the Harvard Art Museums. What are your first thoughts? Editor: It's eerie. It feels like looking at a ghost; the subject is almost unrecognizable, but also very present. Curator: Exactly! Radiography reveals the underpainting and the physical structure beneath the surface, the labor, the choices. Editor: It prompts questions about hidden labor in art. The representation of motherhood is idealized, but what about the reality of women's work and its impact on society and the art world? Curator: Indeed. The materiality here confronts us with the production process, raising questions about value and the artist's hand. Editor: It's a fascinating way to rethink our relationship with familiar iconography. Curator: Absolutely, it forces a consideration of what lies beneath the surface, literally and figuratively.