Is There a UFO in That Renaissance Painting? See 7 Historical Artworks That (Possibly) Depict Close Encounters With the Third Kind

Do you want to believe?

Piero della Francesca, The Baptism of Christ (15th Century). Photo: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Talk of UFOs—sorry, “unidentified aerial phenomena”—spilled into yet another U.S. congressional hearing in July. The session followed a run of announcements and studies by the likes of NASA and the RAND Corporation regarding UAP sightings, turning what once was a fringe science and conspiracy theory into a matter of national interest and security. 

This new spate of interest in extraterrestrials is but the latest chapter in ufology, a field with roots in the late 19th century. But if certain E.T. proponents are to be believed, this fascination with the existence of aliens stretches back further in history. Their evidence? Cave paintings, Nazca lines, prehistoric sculptures, and—for our purposes—art-historical paintings. 

That some old masters depicted encounters with the third kind might be plainly in view for anyone looking closely (very closely) to a few of their works. Squint or stare and you might spot curious aerial phenomena, bizarre beings, or other unexplainable artifacts. Are they signs of an extraterrestrial presence or merely symbols of religious rapture? Is there a difference? Who knows?

Below, we’ve arrayed seven of these historical artworks that contain unidentified objects, so you can make like Congress and be the judge. 

Masolino da Panicale
The Miracle of the Snow (c. 1428–32)

Masolino da Panicale, The Miracle of the Snow (c. 1428–32). Photo: Mondadori Portfolio / Getty Images.

The Florentine painter created this altarpiece to commemorate the founding of Roman basilica Santa Maria Maggiore. Legend has it that the church’s site was chosen by the Virgin Mary herself, who caused snow to fall on that exact spot on the Esquiline Hill in the summer of 352—a scene rendered in Da Panicale’s panel. To some eyes, however, Da Panicale’s depiction of lenticular clouds looks akin to a fleet of alien spaceships, overseen by Jesus and Mary. Could the so-called miracle of the snow be an allegory for an invasion of flying saucers? It’s worth noting that even in the colder seasons, snow is rare in Rome. But then again, so are UFOs… presumably.

Jacques Legrand
Livre des Bonnes Meurs (c. 1430)

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