Famous paintings often hide secret details that are easy to miss. Historians have spent centuries analyzing these hidden messages, using modern science to spot what the human eye cannot see.
This quiz looks at hidden details in masterpieces, such as secret music in da Vinci works and hidden anatomy on Renaissance ceilings. You will see questions about specific symbols and the technology used to find underdrawings.
When you are done, test yourself on other topics. Try our quizzes about symbols in art, famous masterpieces, or odd art curiosities.
Which famous Leonardo da Vinci painting allegedly contains a musical score hidden in the placement of the loafs of bread and hands?
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
The Starry Night
The Starry Night
The Last Supper
The Last Supper
The Birth of Venus
The Birth of Venus
In Jan van Eyck’s ‘Arnolfini Portrait’, where is the artist believed to have hidden a self-portrait?
A hidden signature in the embroidery
A hidden signature in the embroidery
A reflection in the convex mirror behind the subjects
A reflection in the convex mirror behind the subjects
A miniature portrait of himself in the frame
A miniature portrait of himself in the frame
In the pattern of the rug on the floor
In the pattern of the rug on the floor
Which artist is widely believed to have painted a human brain behind the figure of God in the Sistine Chapel ceiling’s ‘Creation of Adam’?
Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Raphael
Raphael
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli
What technology is commonly used by art historians to reveal the underdrawings and pentimenti (previous sketches) beneath the final layers of oil paint?
Carbon dating
Carbon dating
Thermal imaging
Thermal imaging
X-ray fluorescence imaging
X-ray fluorescence imaging
Infrared reflectography
Infrared reflectography
What anamorphic object is famously distorted in the foreground of Hans Holbein’s ‘The Ambassadors’?
A hidden map of Florence
A hidden map of Florence
A skull, representing vanity and mortality
A skull, representing vanity and mortality
A portrait of the artist’s secret lover
A portrait of the artist’s secret lover
A chemical formula for pigment manufacturing
A chemical formula for pigment manufacturing
Jacques-Louis David’s ‘The Death of Marat’ was created to serve as political propaganda for which major historical event?
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution
The Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars
The Reformation
The Reformation
The French Revolution
The French Revolution
In the central panel of Hieronymus Bosch’s ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’, which prominent fruit is widely interpreted by art historians as a symbol of the fleeting and transient nature of earthly pleasures?
A giant strawberry
A giant strawberry
A golden apple
A golden apple
A giant grape
A giant grape
A massive pear
A massive pear
In which Leonardo da Vinci portrait do researchers believe the ermine actually represents Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan?
The Lady with an Ermine
The Lady with an Ermine
Virgin of the Rocks
Virgin of the Rocks
The Vitruvian Man
The Vitruvian Man
Ginevra de’ Benci
Ginevra de’ Benci
What controversial hidden symbol did Dan Brown popularize as the ‘Holy Grail’ in ‘The Last Supper’?
The silhouette of a woman to the right of Jesus
The silhouette of a woman to the right of Jesus
The table being a calendar
The table being a calendar
The floor tile patterns being a musical staff
The floor tile patterns being a musical staff
The Virgin Mary’s womb
The Virgin Mary’s womb
What is the widely interpreted political subtext of Francisco Goya’s ‘The Third of May 1808’?
A tribute to the Spanish monarchy’s absolute power
A tribute to the Spanish monarchy’s absolute power
A protest against the horrors of war and foreign occupation
A protest against the horrors of war and foreign occupation
A celebration of French military triumph
A celebration of French military triumph
A depiction of a peaceful political negotiation
A depiction of a peaceful political negotiation
In Caravaggio’s ‘Bacchus’ in the Uffizi Gallery, what is widely believed to be hidden within the reflection of the glass wine carafe?
A depiction of a local cathedral
A depiction of a local cathedral
A coded signature of the patron
A coded signature of the patron
A tiny self-portrait of the artist
A tiny self-portrait of the artist
A map of a hidden treasure
A map of a hidden treasure
What hidden layer of meaning did Rembrandt use in his religious works to navigate the religious tensions of 17th-century Holland?
A tiny portrait of the Duke of Buckingham
A tiny portrait of the Duke of Buckingham
Protestant symbols hidden in Catholic iconography
Protestant symbols hidden in Catholic iconography
A hidden cat in the floorboards
A hidden cat in the floorboards
A distorted skull meant to be viewed from the side
A distorted skull meant to be viewed from the side
According to researcher Silvano Vinceti, microscopic letters and numbers are hidden within the eyes of which famous painted subject?
Ginevra de’ Benci
Ginevra de’ Benci
Lady with an Ermine
Lady with an Ermine
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
La Belle Ferronnière
La Belle Ferronnière
X-ray analysis revealed that Raphael’s ‘Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn’ originally depicted the woman cradling which animal in her lap instead of a unicorn?
A rabbit
A rabbit
A dog
A dog
A ferret
A ferret
A cat
A cat
According to researcher Giovanni Maria Pala, drawing a musical staff across the bread loaves and hands in ‘The Last Supper’ reveals a hidden hymn of approximately what length?
30 seconds
30 seconds
60 seconds
60 seconds
50 seconds
50 seconds
40 seconds
40 seconds
Underdrawings of ‘The Mona Lisa’ have revealed surprising details, including what?
A signature written in the artist’s own blood
A signature written in the artist’s own blood
A decorative hairpin in her hair
A decorative hairpin in her hair
A secret message written in Greek script on her sleeve
A secret message written in Greek script on her sleeve
A hidden map of Florence
A hidden map of Florence
What scientific method did Leonardo da Vinci use to achieve accuracy in his anatomical drawings, such as his studies of the human neck and chest?
Hypnotic regression of live models
Hypnotic regression of live models
Tracing ancient Roman marble sculptures
Tracing ancient Roman marble sculptures
Meticulous dissection of human corpses
Meticulous dissection of human corpses
Studying only domestic animal remains
Studying only domestic animal remains
In Michelangelo’s ‘The Last Judgment’, whose flayed skin contains the artist’s melancholic self-portrait?
Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian
Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence
Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Bartholomew
Saint Bartholomew
Which painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts over a hundred literal, distinct proverbs in a bustling panoramic village?
The Peasant Wedding
The Peasant Wedding
The Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel
The Triumph of Death
The Triumph of Death
Netherlandish Proverbs
Netherlandish Proverbs
Bruegel’s ‘The Procession to Calvary’ is widely analyzed as a political critique of what?
The rise of French revolutionary ideals
The rise of French revolutionary ideals
The shift from feudalism to capitalism
The shift from feudalism to capitalism
The corruption of the merchant class in Venice
The corruption of the merchant class in Venice
Spanish military occupation and religious persecution in the Netherlands
Spanish military occupation and religious persecution in the Netherlands
What does infrared reflectography primarily reveal beneath the paint layers of Johannes Vermeer’s masterpieces?
A map showing the location of his studio
A map showing the location of his studio
A secret system of signature initials
A secret system of signature initials
Compositional changes and underdrawings (pentimenti)
Compositional changes and underdrawings (pentimenti)
Hidden portraits of the Dutch royal family
Hidden portraits of the Dutch royal family
Sandro Botticelli’s masterpiece ‘Primavera’ is argued by many historians to contain which hidden political allegory?
An explicit call to overthrow the ruling Florentine signoria
An explicit call to overthrow the ruling Florentine signoria
The peaceful and prosperous golden age of Florence under the Medici family
The peaceful and prosperous golden age of Florence under the Medici family
A secret plan detailing the military conquest of Rome
A secret plan detailing the military conquest of Rome
A warning of an impending invasion by the King of France
A warning of an impending invasion by the King of France
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