The image and the mysterious object were first noticed by a Tuscan researcher
Daniele Bedini while viewing the work in a Florence museum. She subsequently published
an article in an Italian magazine (Notiziario UFO), which sparked fervor in the
art community and set into motion a paradigm shift in how we interpret the symbolism
of ancient artwork. This painting, attributed to the Florentine school of Fra
Filippo Lippi was painted sometime between 1406 and 1469, which makes it over
600 years old. If you look closely at the background you will see an object in
the sky behind the Madonna.
The curious object, set unobtrusively into the background, shows a man and his dog staring into the sky behind the Madonna. His hand covers his eyes, directing his attention toward a disk-like object seemingly hovering in the air. Golden spikes radiate around its perimeter, giving the impression the object has some sort of luminescence. Symbolically speaking, the man and his dog have been interpreted to represent 'the Shepard'; the very same Shepard believed to herald the coming of Christ. There are other symbols and themes seen in this painting that have been repeated in several other painting from varying times and places. Take for instance the bare tree trunk to the left of the Madonna. It is commonly believed the tree represents 'the tree of life' or the symbol representing the knowledge of good and evil. (The same tree that bore the forbidden fruit eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.)
This
much earlier painting depicts a similar setting. Notice the Shepard with his flock
behind the Madonna. His hand is drawn to his eyes as he gazes at an Angel flying
through the background. This painting also shows the Virgin Mary and Jesus with Saint Paul. If you look closely and keep an open mind, you may see half of a disk-like object painted to the extreme left behind the main subjects. Anyone who has read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is familiar with the idea that the Catholic Church has gone to great lengths to suppress images and ideas that contradict their doctrine. It is believed that many similar images have been destroyed or suppressed by the Church, but a few have survived due to the fact the images have been hidden within the realm of symbolism. Please remember that the Church was responsible for commissioning most of the artwork of this period, and as a result used its power to sensor the various artists.
To
learn more about the subjects of this page please refer to works by:
|
. 
