A look beneath ‘The Nativity’

Curators at the Museum of Fine Arts took X-ray images of a 16th-century painting of the birth of Jesus and discovered figures hidden under the surface. They surmise that the artist, Tintoretto, reused pieces from a crucifixion scene he painted earlier.

‘The Nativity’ by Tintoretto and X-ray from MFA; Graphic by David Butler / Globe Staff