The tiny detail in this 17th-century painting has left museum visitors utterly amazed.
The Daily Mail recently reported that an intriguing secret was discovered by visitors while touring the London Art Museum (UK).
According to the report, a woman named Fiona Foskett (57 years old) and her daughter Holly (23 years old) visited the museum and admired a 17th-century portrait by Dutch artist Ferdinand Bol.
The painting features a “modern” detail that astonished visitors.
While closely examining the painting, Fiona noticed that the 8-year-old noble boy, dressed in a black cloak, was wearing a pair of shoes that closely resembled modern sneakers. In fact, Fiona even spotted a white swoosh logo characteristic of the famous sports brand Nike on the boy’s shoes.
Upon discovering this unique detail, Fiona immediately turned to her daughter and exclaimed, “Wait, he’s wearing Nike sneakers, right?”
The mother and daughter duo even speculated that the boy in the painting might be a legendary “time traveler.”
“It made us burst out laughing. He certainly looks like a trendy young man. Given his age, he must be wearing the first pair of Nike sneakers ever produced. Or maybe he really is a time traveler?” Fiona shared with the media.
The pattern is said to resemble the Nike logo on the shoes.
It is known that the boy in the portrait by Ferdinand Bol is believed to be Frederick Sluysken, the artist’s wife’s cousin and the son of a wealthy wine merchant. This painting is thought to date back to the 1650s, while the Nike brand was established on January 25, 1964, over 300 years after the painting was created.
Although there hasn’t been a suitable explanation for this time travel detail, many believe that Fiona’s theory will make the painting even more famous. Additionally, they suggest that it could simply be a remarkable coincidence.
A spokesperson for the National Gallery stated: “We are delighted that this painting has made a strong impression on visitors. It has generated significant buzz among followers since we tweeted asking people to see if they could spot a modern detail by closely examining the shoes of the 8-year-old boy in the portrait.”
