17 Famous Pieces Of Art You've Probably Seen A Billion Times, But Never Noticed These Hidden Details In

I love art, and though Renaissance art isn't my favorite, I always find myself utterly and completely floored by its level of complexity. It's so complex, and there are lots of hidden Easter eggs that we're still finding! So here are hidden details in famous works of art from the Renaissance and beyond!

1.In The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, the mirror on the wall shows two additional people in the portrait, presumably standing behind the artist.

  Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

2.In 2014, scientists found a hidden portrait behind The Blue Room by Pablo Picasso. Art historians don't know who the portrait is of, but it wasn't uncommon for Picasso to reuse canvasses.

Someone examines a painting under a microscope. A screen shows an X-ray of hidden artwork beneath the visible painting
Associated Press

3.In The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, God is actually in a giant brain.

Parody of Michelangelo’s "The Creation of Adam" with God in a brain-shaped cloud, illustrating the connection between creativity and intellect
Lucas Schifres / Getty Images

4.In Death and Ascension of St. Francis by Giotto, you can see the devil hiding in the clouds.

Historic religious painting showing a circle with a mysterious object in the sky, highlighted and enlarged, surrounded by various figures
Heritage Images / Heritage Images via Getty Images

5.The painting Netherlandish Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel is just that. Several proverbs can be seen sneakily illustrated in this painting, like "armed to the teeth," "the whole world in your hand," and "there's always bigger fish."

Several panels show detailed scenes from Pieter Bruegel's painting, with arrows highlighting various actions and characters
Photo 12 / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

6.In the Mona Lisa, the letters "LV" can be seen in her eye if you look under a microscope.

A famous painting of a woman seated with a subtle smile, known for its enigmatic expression and intricate background
Ivy Close Images / Ivy Close Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

You can kind of see it in this close-up of her pupil.

Close-up of the Mona Lisa's eyes, with the right image highlighting a small "L" and "V" in the right eye
Ivy Close Images / Ivy Close Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

7.Raphael hid himself in The School of Athens.

Fresco of philosophers and thinkers assembled in an architectural setting, illustrating intellectual discourse and diverse philosophical ideas
Print Collector / Print Collector / Getty Images

8.At the top of The Scream, written in pencil, is the sentence "Can only have been painted by a madman" in Norwegian. Historians believe this is Munch's handwriting, which was added to the painting by the artist after his first, heavily criticized exhibit.

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" details with a close-up focusing on swirling sky patterns, highlighting the painting's texture and brushwork
Photo 12 / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

9.In Fishing for Souls by Adriaen van de Venne, a fly was painted like it landed on the canvas.

Historic painting depicting a crowded river scene with people on boats and a distant rainbow. There's an arrow pointing to a small detail in the water
Photo 12 / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

10.John Dee was an occultist and alchemist who acted as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth. After x-raying this painting of him doing an experiment by Henry Gillard Glindoni, the National Gallery of London found a hidden circle of skulls in the background.

Painting analysis showing a historic scene with royalty and a crowd; the lower image reveals hidden figures beneath the surface layer
Universal Art Archive / Alamy Stock Photo / Royal College of Physicians

11.Recently, a self-portrait of Caravaggio was found hidden in the wine cask in Bacchus.

A classical painting shows a figure with grape leaves and fruit; the lower detail highlights grape clusters in a vessel
Mondadori Portfolio / Contributor

12.In Pieter Bruegel's The Magpie and the Gallows, someone is pooping in the bottom left-hand corner.

A serene landscape painting with gallows, peasants working, and someone hidden, emphasizing life's dichotomy
Heritage Images / Heritage Images / Getty Images

13.Some people think there are music notes hidden in The Last Supper by da Vinci.

Famous painting of the Last Supper with Jesus and disciples seated at a long table, mid-conversation and sharing a meal
Print Collector / Getty Images

Apparently, this can be uncovered by the hands and bread rolls in the painting. It sounds like this.

"The Last Supper" artwork with overlaid musical notes added to the disciples' positions
Print Collector / Getty Images

14.Some scholars believe van Gogh's Café Terrace at Night is actually a version of The Last Supper, with the waiter coincidentally adorned in white acting as Jesus, surrounded by 12 patrons, one of which is hiding from the rest. Additionally, the window directly behind the waiter does, in fact, make a cross.

A painting depicting an outdoor café at night with tables, chairs, and people on a cobblestone street under a starry sky
Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

OK, in these last few, it may not have taken hundreds of years to find the details, but I still like them a whole lot!

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15.The National Cathedral in Washington, DC, has a Darth Vader gargoyle they included after a contest in National Geographic in the 1980s.

Gothic-style cathedral facade with a Darth Vader gargoyle on one side
Rivernorthphotography / Getty Images / Eva Hambach / AFP via Getty Images

16.Also at the National Cathedral is a rock from the moon, embedded in a space-themed stained glass window at the top gifted to the cathedral by the Apollo 11 astronauts.

Stained glass windows with abstract celestial designs, featuring circular and star motifs in a church setting
Silivonochka / Bpperry / Getty Images

17.Finally, Al Hirschfeld hid his daughter's name, Nina, in the majority of his portraits. I actually wrote a whole post about it, and you can read it here!

Caricature of a man in a ruffled shirt striking a dramatic pose; red lines added in the bottom image
The Al Hirschfeld Foundation / Getty Photos

Do you have a fun art fact? Tell me in the comments below!