You won’t believe what they covered up! 🎨💀 #artanalysis #arthistory #artshorts

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]This blue patch on the floor hides a circle of skulls, and we know that because of x-ray imaging, but they were painted over, which raises the question, why include them at all? The answer lies with this man, John Dee. He was a mathematician, astronomer, and advisor to Elizabeth I, but also an occultist who believed he could communicate with angels. This combination of science and magic earned him the title the Queen's Conjurer, and it helps him live on as one of the most enigmatic figures of Tudor England. The original version of the painting reflected both sides of his work. Science from the experiment, and mysticism from the skulls. But in 1913, when it was being painted, that was a problem. The commissioner likely thought that the skulls made Dee seem less scholarly, and the scene less respectable. So, they were removed, leaving behind a cleaner version of Dee, while the other still lingers underneath.