The Hidden Secrets in World Famous Portraits
‘Wife and Family’ 1970 by John G. Boyd R.P. R.G.I. Scottish (1940-2001)
The phrase ‘there’s more to this than meets the eye’ couldn’t be more apt when taking the first glance at John Boyd’s painting ‘Wife and Family’ (1970). Depicted is a reflection of himself and his family in an ornate gilt mirror, which ultimately stands as a self-portrait. With that being said, the charming piece also captures a distorted reflection that alludes to the idea of ‘another world’, one which has been imagined and crafted by Boyd. And so, here began my research adventure into the world of art history and the discoveries of hidden meanings within paintings that may not be obvious at first glance, or, in some cases have not been revealed until centuries later…
The discovery of unsolved mysteries and hidden codes, symbols and shapes within iconic paintings has been brought to life by advancements in modern technology and the inquisitive minds of art historians. Whilst most of us have become accustomed to the seemingly futuristic technologies of AI and VR, some of us may be less aware of the state-of-the-art ‘hyper-spectral imaging methods’ and the techniques of radio-diagnostics to uncover hidden depictions in antique paintings. Besides the advanced technology and the discoveries of these wondrous hidden aspects, it is fascinating to delve into the array of interpretations that shed new perceptions and understandings on some of the most iconic portrait paintings.
We’ve decided to share with you a few of our favourite portrait’s that reveal a hidden image or meaning…
1. ‘Bacchus’ painting Caravaggio (painted between 1596-1597)
‘Bacchus’ by Caravaggio (1596)
An oil painting by the Italian painter Caravaggio, this 16th-century portrait portrays ‘Bacchus’ the Greek god of wine, and ‘tipsiness’ (he sounds like a right laugh) posed and extending his arm with a large goblet of wine in his hand. His generous offering of wine, is not necessarily what’s got people talking, rather it is what’s inside the carafe of wine situated in the bottom left corner of the painting. A rather subtle contrast to Boyd’s work, historian Matteo Marangoni noticed the image of a male person reflected on the wine jug during the 1913 restoration of the piece. This was later confirmed by the restorer, Roberta Lapucci, who used multispectral reflectography to identify the important details of this image that linked it to the artist Caravaggio; making it a self-portrait. It has also been suggested that an easel stands next to the figure, confirming suspicions that it was a self-portrait of Caravaggio with his paintbrush at work. Why Caravaggio did this is less clear - did the high importance of the painting warrant a personal appearance? No one really knows.
2. ‘Arnolfini Portrait’ by Jan van Eyck (1434)
‘Arnolfini’ by Jan van Eyck (1434)
This Renaissance piece by Dutch painter Jan van Eyck is thought to portray Italian merchant Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, Constanza Trenta. The detailed painting is embedded with secret symbolism and poses many questions in reference to the meaning behind the small dog, the discarded shoes, and the awkward socially distanced ‘hand holding’ (very Covid friendly!) What really raises eyebrows is the circular convex mirror on the wall behind the couple. Besides the mirror reflecting the couple, it appears that there are two additional figures, one allegedly being a self-portrait of the artist and the other to be interpreted as a reflection of the viewer (aka you, you handsome bugger!) It has been theorised that the figures in the mirror, alongside the inscription above, ‘Jan van Eyck was here fourteen thirty-four”, (perhaps the first signs of graffiti) are symbolic of a marriage certificate and the union was witnessed by an additional person. Interestingly, x-rays of the painting have shown that Jan van Eyck made multiple edits to his painting which has only led to increased intrigue and a new level of speculation about the details behind Van Eyck’s thought process. When were these changes made? Were they drastic? What did it look like originally? We have so many questions but much of Van Eyck’s life remained a mystery, and unfortunately, so does this painting!
3. ‘Madonna with Saint Giovannino’ by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494)
‘The Madonna with Saint Giovannino’ by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1444-1494)
This painting holds a slightly different mystery to that of Jan van Eyck and Caravaggio in that it’s hidden feature does not involve a reflection of the artist himself (at least not one that’s been found). The 15th-century painting invited a debate as to whether the celestial looking object in the background sky is indeed a UFO (bare with us on this one). Renaissance painter, Ghirlandaio, often painted picturesque scenes with a religious theme, with the focus of this painting being the ‘Madonna’ with her ‘infant Jesus and Saint John’. However, on closer inspection, you can spot a strange object (to the right of Madonna’s head) which ancient alien theorists have suspected might be our friends from mars, in a UFO. What this means is certainly up for debate and has invited some rather interesting speculation. One source has noted that this painting places ‘Madonna’ in a position that suggests she is protecting and guarding the children, and that her halo is diminishing due to the object or ‘UFO’ in the sky. According to various sources, celestial looking objects in religious paintings of this time was common and that Gods, angels and divine objects were portrayed in the form of fire, star, or comet-like objects’. The juxtaposition of religion and science in this painting sure invites a mixed bag of responses as to whether that object really is a UFO, as it can be assumed that alien existence conflicts with the Bible? But whether you choose to believe it or not, this alien sighting is certainly one to spark a debate at the dinner table!
All of these paintings have heralded a wealth of fascinating interpretations from art historians and viewers, but what would be great to hear, is your thoughts on these hidden features in these paintings. Or, we welcome a ‘show and tell’ of any paintings you may own/ or simply know of which hold a mystery of their own!
By Claudia Watkins | 27/02/21
References:
https://www.historicmysteries.com/madonna-with-saint-giovannino/