Great paintings often hide secret details that go unnoticed at first glance. This quiz explores the understated details of classical masterpieces, revealing the quiet messages left behind by history’s greatest painters.
You will see questions about famous optical illusions, hidden underdrawings, and the symbolic meanings behind everyday objects in works by Dutch, Spanish, and Italian masters.
When you finish this set, browse our quizzes on symbols in art, explore art curiosities, or learn about historical painting techniques.
Which famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci features figures often analyzed for alleged musical notes or cryptic mathematical patterns?
The Starry Night
The Starry Night
The Scream
The Scream
The Last Supper
The Last Supper
The Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa
In Hans Holbein the Younger’s painting ‘The Ambassadors’, what distorted object appears in the foreground when viewed from a specific angle?
A map of Europe
A map of Europe
A hidden door
A hidden door
A skull
A skull
A mirror reflection
A mirror reflection
Jan van Eyck’s ‘Arnolfini Portrait’ is widely believed to depict which significant life event?
The founding of the city of Bruges
The founding of the city of Bruges
The signing of a peace treaty
The signing of a peace treaty
The coronation of a monarch
The coronation of a monarch
The marriage of a local merchant
The marriage of a local merchant
In Diego Velázquez’s masterpiece ‘Las Meninas’, what can be found reflected in the mirror on the back wall?
A hidden self-portrait of the artist
A hidden self-portrait of the artist
The King and Queen
The King and Queen
A map of the afterlife
A map of the afterlife
A secret message for the royal family
A secret message for the royal family
Which Dutch master is famous for painting numerous self-portraits throughout his life that chart his aging process?
Caravaggio
Caravaggio
Rembrandt
Rembrandt
Raphael
Raphael
Goya
Goya
What technology is primarily used by art historians to reveal the ‘underdrawings’ or initial sketches beneath the final layers of oil paint?
Ultraviolet light imaging
Ultraviolet light imaging
Infrared reflectography
Infrared reflectography
X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
Carbon dating
Carbon dating
Modern digital analysis of Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’ in the Sistine Chapel has suggested that the shape surrounding God mimics which biological organ?
The human lungs
The human lungs
The human brain
The human brain
The human heart
The human heart
The human kidney
The human kidney
Eugène Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading the People’ serves as an allegory for which historical event?
The July Revolution of 1830
The July Revolution of 1830
The Paris Commune of 1871
The Paris Commune of 1871
The French Revolution of 1848
The French Revolution of 1848
The French Revolution of 1789
The French Revolution of 1789
In ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, the subject’s gaze and the placement of the light are artistic choices that create a sense of mystery; who is the artist?
Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch
Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer
Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli
Titian
Titian
In the ‘Arnolfini Portrait’, which animal stands at the couple’s feet as a traditional symbol of fidelity?
A dog
A dog
A rabbit
A rabbit
A cat
A cat
A lamb
A lamb
Recent high-resolution scans of which da Vinci painting have revealed the existence of a ‘hidden’ portrait underneath the visible surface?
The Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa
Vitruvian Man
Vitruvian Man
The Last Supper
The Last Supper
Salvator Mundi
Salvator Mundi
How did researchers discover that the ‘hidden’ portrait existed beneath the surface of the Mona Lisa?
Infrared examination of the painting’s layers
Infrared examination of the painting’s layers
The Vatican’s secret archives
The Vatican’s secret archives
A hidden inscription on the back of the canvas
A hidden inscription on the back of the canvas
A personal diary written by the artist
A personal diary written by the artist
The painting ‘Las Meninas’ depicts the family of which royal household?
Venetian government officials
Venetian government officials
Dutch merchant class
Dutch merchant class
French aristocracy
French aristocracy
Spanish monarchy
Spanish monarchy
Some researchers claim that bread rolls and hands in ‘The Last Supper’ form what hidden layer of information?
A map of the constellations
A map of the constellations
Musical notation embedded in the hands and buns
Musical notation embedded in the hands and buns
Morse code sequence in the table decoration
Morse code sequence in the table decoration
A hidden portrait of Mary Magdalene
A hidden portrait of Mary Magdalene
Raphael’s ‘The School of Athens’ features an architectural setting that is widely believed to be modeled on Donato Bramante’s designs for which building?
The Pantheon
The Pantheon
St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica
The Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel
Florence Cathedral
Florence Cathedral
In Masaccio’s ‘Holy Trinity,’ a pioneering work of early Renaissance perspective, what can be mathematically calculated from the fresco’s precise geometry?
The exact distance from Florence to Jerusalem
The exact distance from Florence to Jerusalem
The exact physical dimensions of the depicted barrel-vaulted room
The exact physical dimensions of the depicted barrel-vaulted room
The geographic coordinates of the city of Florence
The geographic coordinates of the city of Florence
The precise height of Filippo Brunelleschi
The precise height of Filippo Brunelleschi
In Raphael’s ‘The School of Athens,’ which contemporary High Renaissance artist is famously depicted as the brooding philosopher Heraclitus in the foreground?
Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Donatello
Donatello
Michelangelo
Michelangelo
What symbolic element is common in 17th-century ‘vanitas’ paintings to serve as a reminder of human mortality?
A miniature hidden dragon in the shadows
A miniature hidden dragon in the shadows
A map of the underground tunnels in Amsterdam
A map of the underground tunnels in Amsterdam
A skull to remind viewers of death (memento mori)
A skull to remind viewers of death (memento mori)
The initials of the artist hidden in the brushstrokes
The initials of the artist hidden in the brushstrokes
What detail in Van Eyck’s ‘Arnolfini Portrait’ is often interpreted as a witness to the scene?
A mirror reflecting the room’s entrance
A mirror reflecting the room’s entrance
A secret portrait of his wife
A secret portrait of his wife
A sign written in mirror-writing by the artist
A sign written in mirror-writing by the artist
A hidden door behind a velvet curtain
A hidden door behind a velvet curtain
Some researchers have used high-resolution magnification to find which specific letters, representing the artist’s initials, hidden inside the right pupil of the ‘Mona Lisa’?
VI
VI
LD
LD
LV
LV
DA
DA
What political subtext was frequently attributed to Jean-François Millet’s ‘The Gleaners’ by critics of his time?
A critique of the church’s land ownership policies
A critique of the church’s land ownership policies
The inclusion of secret societies’ symbols in the background
The inclusion of secret societies’ symbols in the background
A promotion of socialist ideals that threatened the class hierarchy
A promotion of socialist ideals that threatened the class hierarchy
A protest against the monarchy’s spending habits
A protest against the monarchy’s spending habits
What secret was discovered beneath Thomas Gainsborough’s ‘The Blue Boy’ through technical imaging?
The distinct scent of incense in the paint mix
The distinct scent of incense in the paint mix
A prayer scroll hidden in the frame
A prayer scroll hidden in the frame
Hidden anatomical diagrams in the background scenery
Hidden anatomical diagrams in the background scenery
An unfinished portrait of an older man and a painted-over dog
An unfinished portrait of an older man and a painted-over dog
You can do better
Not bad
Great!
Looking for more challenges? Test what you know about other renowned masterpieces, read up on famous artists, or view historical designs in famous buildings.
