“Is time travel real?” Was on the mind of many after an object that bore a resemblance to Apple’s iPhone was spotted in a 350-year-old painting.
The artwork titled ‘Man Handing a Letter to a Woman in the Entrance Hall’ was done by Dutch painter Pieter de Hooch. It shows a domestic scene against the backdrop of one of Amsterdam’s canals.
The object, which looks like an iPhone, can be seen in the hands of a man standing to the right of the picture as he prepares to hand it to a woman who sat down in a chair.
Though the title suggests that the object is nothing more than a letter, many conspiracy theorists have speculated about its origin, which even drew Apple CEO Tim Cook’s attention as well.
When asked about the painting at a recent press conference, Cook said that he was shocked to see the painting and admitted that he was “not so sure” anymore whether Apple is in fact the creator of the iPhone.
“I always thought I knew when the iPhone was invented, but now I’m not so sure anymore,” he had at that time, according to Daily Star news outlet.
He then showed the photo to the audience and said, “It’s tough to see but I swear it’s there.”
He stumbled upon the portrait while on a trip to Amsterdam in 2016, where he found de Hooch’s artwork in the Rijksmuseum art gallery.
“There was an iPhone in one of the paintings,” Cook said.
Not the first time
This is not the first time that the supposed resemblance to iPhone has been spotted in classic paintings.
In the 20th-century artwork titled ‘Mr Pynchon and the Settling of Springfield’, many found a man holding small black rectangular object and looking directly at it, almost as if he was snapping a selfie.
The peculiar stance left people baffled, with many convinced that it was an iPhone despite them not being invented until 2007.
The portrait was completed by Italian artist Umberto Romano in 1937 and depicts the arrival of settlers to the town in the 1620s.
A local is seen holding up a small, black rectangular object and looking directly at it, almost as if he was snapping a selfie.
The peculiar object has left viewers baffled, with some convinced it was an iPhone despite them not being invented until 2007.
(With inputs from agencies)
