'Nike trainer' spotted in 17th century painting

A painting in the National Portrait Gallery has gained attention after a mother and daughter couldn't help but notice what appears to be modern-day footwear in the image - Nike trainers, to be exact.

As a result, it's led people to speculate if the person in the painting is a "time traveller".

Portrait of a Boy was painted by Dutch master Ferdinand Bol in the 17th century, which shows an eight-year-old boy standing in the foreground holding a goblet while resting his other hand on his hip.

The child is wearing clothes of the time with black jacket and cape, a white shirt with ruffled sleeves, auburn socks and black boots.

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Well, that is until you take a closer look at the footwear to see what appears to be a white Nike "tick" logo on the side of the youngster's left shoe.

That in itself is pretty impossible considering the fact Nike was founded in 1964, with the portrait being painted 300 years before this.

Was the young boy hundreds of years ahead of his time?Sotheby’s/National Gallery

This seemingly time travelling tick was spotted by Fiona Foskett, 57, who a visited to the London gallery with her daughter, Holly, 23.

"I said to my daughter, 'Hold on, is he wearing a pair of Nike trainers?'" Foskett told The Sun.

"Looking at the age, he must have got his hands on the first pair of Nike trainers ever made. Or is he actually a time traveller?"

A spokesman from the National Gallery told the publication: "We are delighted that this picture has been such a hit with our visitors.

"It resonated with followers when we put out a Tweet asking people to see if they could spot a more 'modern' detail by taking a closer look at the shoes of the eight-year-old boy in the portrait."

It's not the first time people have appeared to spot modern items in old works of art. A 150 year old painting appears to show a woman using an iPhone, a painting from 1937 shows man using an 'iPhone' and an Ancient Greek statue showing 'woman using laptop' has people thinking time travel is real.

This article was originally published on 20 May 2023

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