This 600-year-old painting is one of the most mysterious in history.
That mirror at the back is just 3 inches wide — yet it reflects the entire room in immense detail.
Look closer at it and you'll realize nothing is as it seems… (thread) 🧵
At first glance, you might think Jan van Eyck's masterpiece is an ordinary portrait: Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, Costanza.
It looks like it could be a wedding ceremony, but there is far more going on...
First, it's astonishingly rich in detail and symbolism.
To give you an idea, the prayer beads at the back (a gift to the bride symbolizing purity) each cast a tiny shadow on the wall — and reflect the room's light.
Or take this orange, itself a symbol of wealth, being an expensive import to Bruges (where this was painted).
Its shadow is masterfully rendered, but it even has a faint reflection in the windowsill.
Or this dog, a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness, with each of its hairs painted with one single hair of van Eyck's paintbrush...
It becomes more mind-blowing when you realize when this was painted: the 15th century.
This was an almighty leap in perspective and realism from Gothic art just a few decades earlier.
But dig further into the symbols and you see why it's one of the most analyzed paintings in history.
First, some think it's an actual marriage contract — explaining why the artist's witness signature is included.
And on the bed frame is a sculpture of Saint Margaret, the patron saint of childbirth.
So, this is a portrait of a happy and fruitful marriage yet to come, right?
Wrong. Look now at the mirror.
Packing all this detail into such a small space is stupendous already, but note this is convex glass. The distortion is represented with stunning accuracy.
Zoom in further and you see that orange on the windowsill again.
But more interesting are the two figures in the back: a man in red usually identified as the painter himself, and one other — is that us, the viewer?
The true nature of this painting is actually revealed around the mirror, in 10 tiny images.
Each of these is smaller than half a fingernail, with scenes of the Passion of Christ: from the Agony in the Garden to the Resurrection.
You may notice the scenes on Giovanni's side are during Christ's life, and on Costanza's side after Christ's death — why?
Well, this painting was completed in 1434. Costanza died in 1433...
Now, a lot more starts to make sense: the cherry blossom tree (a symbol of the transience of life), Giovanni's dark clothes (like he's attending a funeral).
Not a single detail is accidental.
The chandelier has only one candle lit: the one above Giovanni's head. The candle over Costanza has burned out — only a few drops of wax remain.
This painting is a posthumous tribute to Costanza.
It's hard not to notice how she's standing and her hand position. This is a woman soon to give birth, at a time when death during childbirth was common.
Her sacrifice is accompanied behind by the ultimate sacrifice: Christ's Crucifixion.
One final detail: look at Giovanni's shoes that he's discarded.
He's done so out of respect: a wedding is happening here, so the room is transformed into a holy place...
And despite what's happened, he has no intention of walking away from his vows — or his faith.
This whole scene is a tribute to the passing of a beloved wife, with details that only a true genius could pull off...
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This 2,700-year-old tablet is the oldest map of the world.
It reveals just how differently the ancients understood the world — but one detail is particularly strange.
It sheds light on a VERY ancient story… (thread) 🧵
The "Imago Mundi" is the oldest map of the world — as it was known to the Babylonians around 700 BC.
It's carved into a small piece of clay, with annotations explaining it, and the creation myth of the world.
The central parts of the map are easy to read:
The Euphrates river runs north to south, straddled by the city of Babylon (modern-day Iraq), and surrounded by cities and regions marked by small circles.
We often hear about the 7 Wonders of the World, both ancient and modern.
But what about wonders of the Medieval Age?
Here are seven — and what happened to them... 🧵
There's no "official" list of wonders built in the Middle Ages like for antiquity. The 7 ancient wonders list was proposed by Ancient Greeks, and endured to today.
So here are suggestions — sadly, most are long lost to time...
1. Old London Bridge
By all measures considered a world wonder by medieval Europeans. "Living bridges" were common in the Middle Ages and London's was the greatest — people even flocked to it for religious pilgrimage.
Today in 1793, Marie Antoinette was guillotined by French revolutionaries.
But what you think know about her is a lie — the media turned her into history's greatest scapegoat.
Here's what happened, and how the tactics used against her are surprisingly familiar today… 🧵
After becoming Queen in 1774, Marie Antoinette soon became the target of vicious rumors.
Caricatures depicted her as promiscuous, done by her political enemies to discredit her and to erode the authority of what she represented — the monarchy...
Over time, French media crafted her reputation as a spendthrift, nicknaming her "Madame Déficit".
As France's financial situation worsened, she was unfairly blamed for the country's economic woes.