People love to find hidden symbols in various objects, especially in art.
For example, many people know that Da Vinci was a talented musician, but not everyone knows about the melody that he encoded in the Last Supper fresco. This and much more can be seen by looking at these 14 famous works of art that hide secret symbols within them.
Hans Holbein the Younger 'ambassadors' hide hints of death
This remarkable piece impresses with its realism and attention to detail. Looking at these very details, many viewers do not notice something lying on the floor between two men.
In fact, this is "something" - a distorted skull, to make out which, you need to look at the picture on the right.
Some experts believe that the skull represents a special sign and is a reference to the Latin phrase memento mori, that is, "remember death." This phrase, presumably, was the motto of the person who commissioned the portrait from the painter.
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"Madonna and Saint Giovannino" by Domenico Ghirlandaio depicts a UFO
Yes, the blurry circle next to Madonna's head has been at the center of various UFO theories for years. Many are convinced that this is an image of an alien ship.
The spot cannot be seen with the naked eye, but if you enlarge the picture, the spot really looks like a classic flying saucer.
The Creation of Adam depicts part of the human anatomy
God, surrounded by angels and red drapery, is a remarkably anatomically correct depiction of the human brain. Does this mean that Michelangelo believed that God was a creation of the human brain? We will never know. Although the image tells us that Michelangelo really was a unique connoisseur of anatomy.
Da Vinci's "Last Supper" hides the stave with a melody
The music hidden in The Last Supper is an example of the real Da Vinci Code.
The Italian musician discovered that by arranging the bread on the stave on the table and in the hands of the apostles, they turn into notes. It might sound like a silly theory, but the melody confirms the intention of this arrangement. This is definitely not an accident.
Van Gogh's Night Café Terrace refers to the Last Supper
Some believe that Vincent Van Gogh paid tribute to Da Vinci in his painting "The Terrace of the Night Café". The cafe has 12 visitors, and in the center of the terrace there is a waiter in a snow-white outfit, symbolizing Jesus.
Self-portrait of the artist is hidden in "Bacchus" by Caravaggio
A tiny self-portrait of Caravaggio can be found reflected in a jug of wine, next to the resting Bacchus.
The mini-self-portrait was first seen in 1922, more than 300 years after the painting was completed. The records of the discovery were lost during the world wars. The self-portrait was rediscovered anew in 2009, using modern technologies.
People in the painting "View of the Sands of Scheveningen" are not just standing on the shore
When Hendrik van Antonissen's View of the Sands of Scheveningen was first revealed to the public at the beginning of the 17th century, the painting depicted a group of people standing around a washed up whale. The animal was then painted over, leaving the people standing for no apparent reason.
When restoration work began on the painting at the Fitzwilliam Museum, a strange stain was discovered that eventually turned out to be a painted over whale.
Why was the whale covered with paint? According to restorers, the depiction of dead animals in the paintings was considered offensive in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Michelangelo's "David" has two facial expressions
Depending on the angle from which we look at David's face, we can see two completely different facial expressions.
The statue of David is very high - more than five meters in height. Most likely, Michelangelo intended for people to look at David from the bottom up, as, in fact, most people see him. From this angle, David's face is unusually calm.
However, looking directly into the face of the statue, we see an incredible transformation - in the face of David, so serene from below, an expression of fear or even anger appears. Not surprising, since he is depicted right before the duel with Goliath.
According to some experts, attentive viewers could notice the restless state of David from below, the fact is that his forehead is wrinkled and his muscles are very tense.
Devil's face on the mural
Giotto was engaged in painting the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi and perfectly coped with the order. Only in 2011, about 700 years later, restorers discovered an unexpected detail. Under the image of God, the face of the devil is hidden in the clouds. It is difficult to notice it, but if you look closely, you can clearly see a grin, a crooked nose, eyes and devil horns.
Pieter Bruegel's painting hides more than a hundred proverbs
At first, this painting, by Pieter Bruegel, seems like an extremely detailed depiction of a busy Dutch street, but in fact it reflects much more than just urban life.
The official name of this painting is the phrase "Dutch Proverbs". And it is not surprising, because in a small area the author has depicted more than a hundred proverbs and sayings, many of which are used in other cultures.
For example, from left to right, the following objects and expressions are depicted in the picture: an inverted globe (the whole world is upside down), a person beats his head against a wall, a person holds a globe in his hand (the whole world is in his palms), three people following each other (the blind leads the blind).
Mona Lisa is one of the most mysterious portraits in history
There is a code hidden in the eyes of Gioconda. This is not at all the plot of The Da Vinci Code. Mona Lisa's eyes really hide the letters and numbers that Leonardo himself wrote there.
Members of the National Committee for Cultural Heritage of Italy reported that under a microscope in one of the eyes of the mysterious girl, the letters LV and other, illegible letters are visible. In addition, number 72 is visible in the arch in the background of the painting.
It is unknown what exactly all these symbols mean. While the letters LV could have been the artist's initials, the numbers 72 keep their secret.
The Garden of Earthly Delights also hides music
The melody is written on the right side of the triptych, the one that depicts hell. In the upper left corner, a man is depicted with notes written on his bare bottom.
The student of the conservatory noticed these notes and recorded the melody, allowing everyone to listen to "600-year-old music straight from hell".
"Portrait of the Arnolfini Couple" hides a tiny self-portrait of the artist
The Arnolfini Portrait is one of the most talked about paintings ever painted. There is a lot of speculation about any detail, from sandals and a dog, to the position of a woman's hands. One tiny detail that viewers most often overlooks, however, is the reflection in the mirror behind the pair.
Two people are clearly visible in the reflection. Many experts believe that one of them is Van Eyck, because of the artist's signature. It roughly translates as "Jan Van Eyck was here." Quite literally - Jan Van Eyck is in this picture.
"The Powdery Woman" contained the only known self-portrait of Georges Seurat
Seurat was the founder of pointillism, an art movement where the whole painting is made up of tiny dots.
The subject of this painting is the artist's secret mistress, Madeleine Nobloch. Sera loved her so much that he even depicted himself in her portrait. A window with a vase of flowers hides a previously painted mirror, where the reflection of Seurat himself was captured.
After the artist showed the painting to his friend, he noted the strangeness of the reflection. Believing a friend, Sera painted over his only self-portrait.
Hope Chikanchi
