This 600-year-old painting is one of the most mysterious in history.

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.

The painting you're looking at is The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, completed in 1434. It’s considered one of the most enigmatic masterpieces of the Northern Renaissance, packed with symbolism and technical brilliance.

At first glance, it's a portrait of a wealthy merchant, Giovanni Arnolfini, and his wife, possibly capturing a marriage ceremony or a legal contract. But then your eyes land on the small convex mirror at the back of the room.

Just three inches across, this mirror reflects the entire scene with astonishing precision, even including two additional figures who appear to be entering the room, likely the painter himself and a witness. Around the mirror are ten tiny medallions depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ, adding a religious layer to the domestic scene.

Van Eyck even signed the painting just above the mirror with the words “Johannes de Eyck fuit hic” — “Jan van Eyck was here.” It’s not just art; it’s a visual puzzle nearly six centuries old.

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