UFO in the paintings of the Renaissance

In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Western civilization created the most outstanding works of art. Even modern young artists take these pictures for role models.

Many of these paintings are devoted to religious themes, which was typical of the art of that era. Some of these paintings, against the backdrop of religious events, such as the birth or crucifixion of Jesus, depict strange objects resembling flying saucers, laser beams, and people in spacesuits.

Among such paintings is the "Madonna with St. John" by Domenico Ghirlandaio, written in the 15th century (see the illustration), which is currently in the Palazzo Vecchio Museum in Florence. It depicts the Madonna with the baby Jesus, in the background is seen the figure of a man with a dog, looking at an object in the sky, which very much resembles a flying saucer radiating energy.

In the picture of Carlo Crivelli "The Evangelism" (1486), exhibited in the National Gallery of London, depicts a circular object that emits an energy ray.

This picture is often cited as an example by proponents of the hypothesis that in ancient times the Earth was visited by UFOs. Art critics and skeptics believe that this is only an artistic depiction of God surrounded by angels.

Carlo Crivelli "The Evangelism" (1486), Photo: Wikimedia Commons

People who believe that this is a UFO, argue that the appearance of flying saucers in ancient ages 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.

In turn, the proponents of the idea of ​​UFOs cite other pictures with similar subjects, which depict angels and religious symbols. For example, the picture "Reverence of the Infant Jesus" by Vincentso Fopp on composition is very similar to "Madonna with St. John", including the figure of a man in the background looking at the sky. Only in this case he looks at the emitting light of the angel, not the flying saucer.

"Reverence of Jesus' baby" by Vincenzo Foppa, XV century. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

In the painting "Crucifixion" of the XIV century, in the Visoki Decani monastery in Kosovo, human figures are depicted inside an object similar to a spaceship. Skeptics believe that the image of the Moon and the Sun is very common in paintings of this kind. The moon and the sun were depicted as witnesses to the birth of Jesus.Therefore, a "spaceship" with figures of people inside can simply be the personification of the Moon and the Sun.

Fragments of the picture "Crucifixion" by Alexander Paunovich.

In 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. At the same time, many witnesses were present. The French token of 1680 depicts a round, wheel-like object resembling a UFO.

Engraving of Hans Glaser, an illustration of the events that took place in Nuremberg, Germany, April 14, 1561 Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Supporters and opponents of the theory of ancient UFOs put forward arguments for and against. Perhaps in a few hundred years, when people will watch films of our time, it will also be difficult for them to understand the events shown in them.