For much of human history it is the visual depictions which have the most to tell us about how previous generations lived. From Raphael’s frescos at the Vatican, showing how the Renaissance master saw the ancients, to ancient cave paintings in France, it is primarily and most often drawings which show us the past.
Sometimes these depictions are confusing to modern observers, as they seem to show either devices we do not believe the ancients had access to, or otherwise they depict things which are wholly baffling to us. And across human history the depiction that seems to span the most amount of time is that of what we, with our modern eyes, would call a UFO.
In the title painting by Italian artist Piero della Francesca for example, a familiar shape appears to be hiding in the cloud cover to the right. Some may dismiss this apparent UFO as a modern take on what are clearly clouds. Others might ask: why is the UFO of pop fiction so similar to this painting, when they are hundreds of years apart?
Here are six more examples of a UFO depicted in art throughout history.
1. The Crucifixion of Christ, 1350
Depicted on the wall above the altar of the Visoki Monastery in Kosovo, or most interest are the two flying vehicles in the corners. The pilot on the right appears to be fleeing the pilot on the left, and neither being has a halo so they are not angels (Unknown Artist / Public Domain)
2. Panicale’s Miracle of the Snow
The “Miracle of the Snow” depicts an event where it snowed in Rome in June, but perhaps this 15th century depiction has something else to say. The circular objects, distinct from the cloud layer, seem to have even spaced themselves over the populace: are they responsible for the miraculous snow? (Masolino da Panicale / Public Domain)
3. Madonna with Saint Giovannino
There have been many depictions of the Madonna with Saint Giovannino. However, in this singular late 1400s picture there is something highly strange in the background. This disc shaped flying object does not conform to any obvious religious iconography, and unless the artist was being extra weird in his depictions of aliens it appears he is depicting a flying craft (Jacopo del Sellaio / Public Domain)
4. Coccius’s Woodprint
This woodcut, carved in Basel in Switzerland in 1566, depicts some strange aerial event. Black globes were described as moving with immense speed and blocking out the sun as they covered the sky (Samuel Coccius / Public Domain)
5. The Baptism of Christ, 1710
There have been many efforts made to reinterpret our understanding of Biblical events through the lens of modern science, looking for evidence of sophisticated technology described as “miraculous” by those who witnessed it. Sometimes however, as with this painting by Dutch artist Aert de Gelde depicting a UFO conferring a “blessing”, the source of the “higher power” is clear (Aert de Gelde / Public Domain)
6. The Svetitskhoveli Crucifixion
Hovering around Christ’s armpits in this Russian fresco, two strange objects can be seen. The two objects are either projecting lance-like beams towards the Christ figure, or are departing as Jesus dies. Interesting parallels can be drawn with depictions of the Egyptian heretic Akhenaten, another Christ-figure (Unknown Author / Public Domain)
Top Image: Piero della Francesca’s Exaltation of the Cross, with what appears to be a UFO observing from the clouds on the right (Piero della Francesca / Public Domain)
By Joseph Green
Joseph Green
Joseph Green is editor for Historic Mysteries, which combines his background in English Literature with a lifelong fascination for the strange and the unexplained. Read More
