Here’s a nice little article showing how science and art history research can work together in a harmonious way: using high-intensity x-rays, a materials scientist and a chemist found an portrait hidden beneath Van Gogh’s “Patch of Grass”.
Incidentally, the webpage is #1 of a set of 7, most of which are a bit poor: but photo #6, Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Cecilia Gallerani with her ermine (though I think it’s actually a weasel) as captured by Pascal Cotte’s multispectral trickery, is quite cool. 🙂