The Madonna and the Infant Saint John
In the 15th century the pre-eminent art was that of a sacred nature, therefore an artist had no way of representing direct events to future humanity, such as manifestations of strange phenomena.
An excellent expedient, however, is to insert a similar representation into a sacred art subject. This was precisely what happened during the making of "The Madonna and the Infant Saint John" attributed to the school of Filippo Lippi, a 15th century Florentine painter.
Daniele Bedini, a young Italian architect, noticed this painting by chance and, observing it, he clearly noticed that in the upper right part of the canvas there was a strange lead-coloured ovoid flying object surrounded by light rays that seemed to be in motion.
As he himself says:
"It is clear and presumable due to the presence of luminous rays (golden yellow in color) all around the object, which almost also suggest its direction; these factors, which are in sharp contrast with the complete static of the figures and the landscape in the background."
Can this object be identified with the Star of Bethlehem, given that the work narrates a nativity scene that presents the Virgin Mary with both Jesus and the infant Saint John the Baptist?
The answer seems no, since, if the artist had wanted to represent the star of Bethlehem, he would have used a different method of representation: with a body with clear and non-opaque features, like those of the object in question, and with greater light, so as to make it look more like a comet. We cannot even say that it can represent the sun, because it is already clearly painted, with small rays underneath it, in the upper left portion, the mystical emblem of God and the Holy Trinity.
Bedini, suggests that
"The object in question is also observed by a shepherd, placed to the right of the Madonna, depicted by the painter with his right hand on his forehead in a clear attitude of attention and even by his dog barking as the object passes very evident way, just as has happened in many cases of current UFO sightings."
So what could that strange flying body be?
No conventional explanation seems appropriate in providing clarification.
