Thousands of works of art from ancient Egypt to 20th-century Europe are on hand to dazzle visitors to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. But the views art lovers won’t see are the ones taken by GE’s digital radiography technology to help curators better understand the condition, design, and history of their great works.


X marks the spot: The museum’s Satyr with Urn, an Italian sculpture believed to be from the 16th century, is seen through the lens of GE’s CR50P digital scanner. The X-ray image reveals wax drippings and circular metal plugs in the statue.

The Walters’ conservation and research team uses GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies’ CR50P digital scanner to capture images of their collection and then analyzes, archives and shares the images with colleagues across the art world using GE’s Rhythm software.

“We X-ray works of art because it allows us to better understand them,” said Terry Drayman-Weisser, Director of Conservation and Technical Research at the Walters. “An X-ray can help us determine the best way to preserve the piece, understand how it was made and whether it has changed or deteriorated over time. It is also a useful tool in evaluating authenticity and whether parts were added later.”


Seeking inner beauty: The CR50P is a portable computed radiography scanner that’s light and compact enough to be used for on-site inspections at remote locations. It’s the first field portable scanner in the GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies line with the ability to scan different imaging plate formats and sizes, making it ideal for field applications.

The Walters uses GE’s digital radiography to analyze pieces such as ancient vases, bronze statues and paintings. The CR50P uses flexible imaging plates, enabling the Walters’ team to curve a plate on the inside of a three-dimensional object, such as a vase or statue, to analyze one side at a time. Occasionally, an X-ray of a painting reveals a different painting underneath. In one instance at the Walters, the painting underneath could be dated to a later period than the style of the painting on top, indicating that the painting on top was a fake.

Prior to acquiring the GE digital scanner, the Walters used traditional radiography with film and wet processing. Using this technique, it could take days to determine the appropriate exposure, capture the image appropriately and process the film. “It was a lot of effort to get what you wanted,” said Weisser. “A lot of time, expense and frustration.”

With the GE digital scanner, the Walters conservation team can process an image in 10 minutes. Following the image scan, the conservation group uses GE’s Rhythm software to download and manipulate the image. Rhythm also enables the conservation team to measure and compare what they see in the image, such as core pins in a Renaissance bronze statue that may be invisible to the naked eye.

The Walters has been using radiography since 1935 when the team used a medical unit in a lead lined box. In the 1970s, the Walters purchased a second unit for dense objects. The digital scanner from GE is the first digital X-ray system the museum has acquired.

* Learn more about GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies
* Read about GE’s technology being used in building preservation