Exhibit at Fogg Shows X-rays

Photographs of X-ray shadowgraphs of paintings by Rembrandt, Titian, Giorgiene, and other great artists are shown in an exhibition of modern technical studies of art at the William Hayes Fogg Art Museum.

The display explains the uses of X-ray and surface photography, and of ultraviolet and infra-red light, in the determination of the authorship of paintings, the study of painting styles, the detection of forgery, and the restoration of damaged pictures. The University now has X-ray films available for study of more than 3,200 paintings in the United States and Europe.

Rembrandt versus Bol

Photographs on exhibition show the help given by the X-ray in determining whether certain paintings are the work of Rembrandt or of his pupil, Ferdinand Bol, who studied under the master from 1635 to 1641. On one disputed picture, a portrait of "Saskia," the shadow graphs indicate that the underpainting is probably the work of Bol, while the final surface painting is probably by Rembrandt. X-ray evidence shows that several paintings, once attributed to Rembrandt, may really prove to be the work of Bol, whose underpainting is cruder and less decisive than the master's.

One section is devoted to X-ray studies of the "Knight of Malta" and of representative works of three artists to whom this painting has been attributed. Most critics ascribe the painting to either Titian or Giorgione, but the X-rays shows that the painting is smoothly modelled, without, the boldly defined edges characteristic of Giorgione's work, or the flickering, thin brushwork of Titian. It is shown that paintings by Palma Vecchio, a contemporary of Titian and Giorgione, have marked similarity to the "Knight of Malta."

Density of Materials Shown

The X-ray records the relativity density and thickness of the materials used by an artist and often reveals under-painting and preparatory workmanship which is not visible on the surface of a painting. In a picture entitled "Vision of a Monk" attributed to the Bolognese School, of about 1700, the shadowgraphs show that a pillar and an angel, were added in later years; similarly, an angel is shown to have been added to a 15th century picture, "Annunciation to the Madonna of Her Approaching Death."