X-radiograph(s) of "Della Faille" 

Curator: Here we have an X-radiograph of "Della Faille," a painting originally by Anthony van Dyck. It offers a glimpse beneath the surface, quite literally. Editor: My first thought? Haunting! It’s like peering into a memory, seeing only the faintest echoes of form and intention. Curator: Exactly. X-radiography allows us to see the underpainting, the artist's initial sketch, changes they made along the way. It reveals secrets about process and composition. Editor: It's fascinating how the face seems almost to glow from within, a spectral presence. I wonder about the choices Van Dyck made in his initial layers, the symbols he embedded even before the final portrait took shape. Curator: Indeed, this image becomes its own form of portraiture, doesn't it? A portrait of the artwork itself. Editor: It’s a dance between the visible and invisible, reminding us that every image carries a hidden history.