During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Western civilization produced the most outstanding works of art. Even contemporary young artists take these paintings as role models.
Many of these paintings are devoted to religious themes, which was characteristic of the art of that era. Some of these paintings depict strange objects like flying saucers, laser beams, and people in spacesuits against the background of religious events, such as the birth or crucifixion of Jesus.
Among such paintings is the "Madonna of St. John" by Domenico Ghirlandaio, painted in the 15th century (see illustration), which is currently in the Palazzo Vecchio Museum in Florence. It depicts the Madonna and Child Jesus, in the background a figurine of a man with a dog is visible, looking at an object in the sky that looks very much like a flying saucer that radiates energy.
Carlo Crivelli's Evangelism (1486), exhibited at the National Gallery of London, shows a circular object emitting an energy beam.
This picture is often cited as an example by supporters of the hypothesis that the Earth was visited by UFOs in ancient times. Art critics and skeptics believe that this is just an artistic image of God surrounded by angels.
Carlo Crivelli, Evangelism (1486), Photo: Wikimedia Commons
People who believe that this is a UFO argue that the appearance of flying saucers in ancient times could be perceived by people as a divine sign. Others say that these objects are just spiritual symbols and have nothing to do with flying saucers.
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In turn, supporters of the UFO idea cite as an example other paintings with similar subjects, which depict angels and religious symbols. For example, Vincenzo Fopp's painting Reverence of the Baby Jesus is very similar in composition to Madonna with St. John, including the figure of a man in the background looking up at the sky. Only in this case, he looks at the angel emitting light, and not a flying saucer.
"Awe of the Baby Jesus" by Vincenzo Foppa, 15th century. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The 14th century painting The Crucifixion at Visoki Dekani Monastery in Kosovo depicts human figures inside a spaceship-like object. Skeptics believe that the image of the moon and the sun is very common in this kind of paintings. The moon and sun were portrayed as witnesses to the birth of Jesus. Therefore, a "spaceship" with figures of people inside can be just the personification of the Moon and the Sun.
Fragments of the painting "The Crucifixion" by Alexander Paunovich.
During the late Middle Ages, several paintings of a non-religious nature were created, depicting strange objects in the sky. One of them is an engraving by Hans Glaser, an illustration of the mystical events that took place in Nuremberg on April 14, 1561, when several objects moving across the sky fell to the Earth with strong smoke. There were many witnesses present. A 1680 French token depicts a round, wheel-like UFO-like object.
Engraving by Hans Glaser illustrating the events of Nuremberg, Germany, April 14, 1561. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Proponents and opponents of the ancient UFO theory put forward arguments for and against. Perhaps in a few hundred years, when people watch the films of our time, it will also be difficult for them to understand the events shown in them.