The conservation team at Knole in Sevenoaks has been examining the house collections with the help of an X-ray machine. This image is of the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633), wife of Archduke Albert, by an unknown 17th Century artist

A section of the cross frame of a 17th Century armchair taken by the X-ray machine more often used to detect bombs under cars. Until the 1960s, X-ray machines were commonly used in shoe shops to check fitting.

The X-ray pictures, including this one of the arm of a sofa, show details of the furniture’s construction, the tacks used and the presence of tarnished and degraded threads.

The images, including this one of the guilt bottom of a pedestal, were taken as part of a trial of the X-ray technology to help those conserving the nation's historic objects.

X-ray images were taken by Leicestershire-based firm 3DX-Ray. James Young from the company said he was delighted at the trust’s response to the images. Here the 17th Century Venetian wooden torchere (an ornamental stand usually used for candles), carved in the shape of a Nubian figure, is being X-rayed.

James Young said: “We are pleased that a British company with a unique technology has been able to move away from the traditional security role that we perform."

The images can show layers of upholstery and previously unseen damage caused by woodworm. Historians are starting to see the potential for using X-rays as a tool to aid conservation and curatorial studies.

This project is the first time that X-radiography has been carried out on upholstered furniture in its regular environment. Previously, conservators have taken their items to be photographed in a studio.