Is the boy in this 400-year-old painting wearing a pair of Nike sneakers? Art lovers believe they have found proof that time travel must exist
- The portrait of the Dutch painter Ferdinand Bol is in the National Gallery, London
- Tourists pointed out the Nike anomaly and asked if the boy was a “time traveler.”
A 400-year-old gallery portrait appears to show a young boy wearing a pair of Nike sneakers, it is claimed.
The portrait by Dutch painter Ferdinand Bol, in the National Gallery, London, shows a pensive-looking eight-year-old boy holding a cup.
But amused tourists pointed out that the boy appeared to be wearing a pair of Nike sneakers.
Mother Fiona Foskett, 57, spotted the anomaly while visiting the London museum with her daughter, 23-year-old daughter Holly.
Ms Foskett, from the Isle of Wight, said the trainers ‘really stood out’ and joked that the boy was a ‘time traveller’.
The portrait of Dutch painter Ferdinand Bol, in the National Gallery, London, shows a pensive-looking eight-year-old boy holding a cup
Mother Fiona Foskett, 57, spotted the anomaly while visiting the London museum with her daughter, 23-year-old daughter Holly
She told The Sun: ‘I looked at the painting and the trainers really caught my eye. I said to my daughter, “Wait a minute, is he wearing a pair of Nike sneakers?”
‘We had a hearty laugh about it. He sure is a trendy looking youngster.
“Given his age, he must have owned the first pair of Nike sneakers ever. Or is he actually a time traveller?’
The boy in the photo is said to be Frederick Sluysken – the second cousin of artist Bol’s wife and the son of a wealthy wine merchant.
A spokesman for the National Gallery said: ‘We are delighted that this photograph has been such a hit with our visitors.
“It resonated with followers when we posted a tweet asking people to see if they could see a ‘more modern’ detail by taking a closer look at the shoes of the eight-year-old boy in the portrait.”