Some fun stuff you've found...

[Beanz]

why would that be there?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Columba_Altarpiece

Its a painting, not a photograph, as in painted years after what could well have been fictional events. The Flemish Primitives are defined in part by the mystical power they invest in such a realistic rendering of objects. In this tryptych you can see icons in the other panels too. This is at a time when people were starting to question the idea of a flat earth, end of late middle ages and the renaissance is just around the corner. His aim is to move you emotionally in a deeply religious and devotional narrative that not only depicts the magi, Gabriel but also the temple linking both old and new testament. Primitive as in early, not naive, and certainly not third rate Dan Brown conspiracy fodder. Fucking hell man (:

Thanks for sharing. Can we talk about Van Eyck next? The leading light in that group of painters?