X-radiograph(s) of "Portrait of a Youth" 

Curator: This X-radiograph offers a ghostly peek beneath the surface of Sandro Botticelli's "Portrait of a Youth." Editor: It's a bit unsettling, isn't it? Like peering into the skeletal structure, all traces of the material and artistic labor involved in its creation. Curator: Precisely. The x-ray reveals the underdrawing and the physical properties of the pigments and wood panel—aspects concealed by the finished artwork. Editor: And thinking about that physical presence, this radiographic process gives us direct insight into materiality that the surface denies. Curator: It brings forth questions about art handling and conservation, shifting our attention from aesthetic appreciation to material analysis. Editor: Yes, turning what we thought we knew on its head. Food for thought indeed.