﻿Smithsonian 
  Report, 
  1927.— 
  Burroughs 
  

  

  Plate 
  8 
  

  

  > 
  ■ 
  •M': 
  

  

  X 
  Ray 
  of 
  the 
  Virgin's 
  Head 
  by 
  Antonello 
  da 
  Messina 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  any 
  old 
  painting 
  on 
  wood 
  panel; 
  the 
  bands 
  running 
  through 
  

   the 
  X 
  ray 
  are 
  the 
  shadows 
  of 
  the 
  wooden 
  stripes 
  of 
  "cradling" 
  on 
  the 
  back. 
  A 
  close 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Virgin's 
  face 
  reveals 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  artist 
  began 
  the 
  painting 
  in 
  a 
  slightly 
  different 
  

   position. 
  Two 
  lines 
  for 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  mouth, 
  two 
  nostrils 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  nose, 
  and 
  

   two 
  lines 
  for 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  chin 
  enable 
  one 
  to 
  place 
  the 
  first 
  position 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  

   higher 
  than 
  the 
  finished 
  version. 
  (Courtesy 
  of 
  the 
  Metropolitan 
  Museum 
  of 
  Art) 
  

  

  