Many creative person have explored idea of the supernatural and visions of spectre and haunt place in their work . Some , like Lizzie Siddal’sThe Haunted Wood(1856 ) , show these supernatural forms directly , while others , like William Holman Hunt’sThe Haunted Manor(1849),take a more oblique approach shot to the portrayal of taken up situation . But what about when an artwork itself is articulate to be haunted ? The 2019 filmVelvet Buzzsawexploredthe idea of preoccupied artistic production in its central plot line , but a number of real - liveliness works also hold legends of supernatural disquiet . Here are a few of them .
Caryatid Statue from the Parthenon Sculptures
TheParthenon Sculptures , also cognize as the Elgin Marbles , were taken from Athens to London in the 19th century by a diplomat named Lord Elgin ; they stay at the British Museum , despite calls for their return to Greece . Among them is a caryatid from421–406 BCEthat primitively stood at the Acropolis with five exchangeable statues , until Elginremoved it . The tale go that the caryatid was take heed cry in the box in which she was transport from Athens to London . Noah Angell , who began looking into the museum ’s hauntings in 2016,toldThe Economistin 2020 that the stories surround the caryatid and other objects taken from nation around the world “ seem to paint a picture that the objective themselves are restless . ”
Portrait of Jean-Gabriel du Theil at the Signing of the Treaty of Vienna
A Boy in a Red-lined Cloak
Another potentially haunted painting in Cleveland ’s collection is Jean - Honoré Fragonard’sA Boy in a Red - lined Cloak , which dates back to the 1780s . It ’s been suggested that the guinea pig of the painting is Fragonard ’s son , Alexander Evariste Fragonard ( though this has never been officially confirmed ) . The house painting is believed to be haunt because it sometimes moves from one exhibit vitrine to another without explanation , direct some to trust it ’s moving of its own accord .
Portrait of General Bonaparte
The Louvre has reportedly seen its fair share of supernatural occurrences over the century — and , not surprisingly , there ’s a stalk painting in the mix : Jacques - Louis David’sunfinished portraitof Napoleon , paint in 1797–98 . The fable goes that a soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars was a smashing admirer of the emperor , and hanker to see his portrait ; unfortunately , he expire at the Battle of Waterloo before he had the opportunity . It ’s said that his ghostlingersaround the portrait in the Louvre . Some visitant exact to have run into him give a military salute , while other say they ’ve spotted him in tears .
Portrait of Lady Ossington
Lady Ossington was a Victorian enterpriser who build a “ coffee palace ” in the town of Newark , England , in 1882 . It was intended to put up a place to stay for travelers who want to void alcohol , which was n’t sold on the premises . A portrait of Lady Ossington , painted in 1863 by an unknown artist , was on video display in the coffee bean household . Almost a century later , when the building was sell and converted into a pub , stories start to go around about the portrait flying off the wall ( perhaps because Lady Ossington was n’t pleased that liquor was being served ) . A few years later , the portrait was taken down and put into memory board , but can now beviewed online .
Man Proposes, God Disposes
Edwin Landseer ’s 1864 workMan Proposes , God Disposes , on display at Royal Holloway , University of London , present two polar bears eating corpse of the wreckage of a ship from Sir John Franklin’sdoomed missionto the Northwest Passage — and it ’s touch for more than just the scene it depicts . Not only is it believed to be unlucky to take an examination in front of the painting , there ’s even an urban caption that a studentdiedafter doing so ( although there ’s no truth to the story ) . Still , the legend has caused such disquiet that since the 1970s , staff have necessitate tocovering the paintingduring exams .
Untitled Portrait
A supposedly preoccupied portrait of a young girl has made a number of headlines in the last few years . The paint wasboughtin a UK Greek valerian shop , but the vendee — who aver they found it creepy — refund it just a couple of days later . The second person to buy it from the store also ended up returning it after experiencing alike malaise , then changed their mind and come back to bribe it again .
Nothing is known about the portrayal — not when it was painted , or by whom , or the name of the subject it limn ( or , for that matter , the title of the painting itself ) . The mystery smother the work and its “ creepy aura ” has go to conjecture that it ’s haunted or bedamn , and rumour has it that misfortune will come to whoever owns it . It was purchase last yr by the London Bridge Experience , a tourist attraction that has since reportedexperiencingbad fortune after acquiring the graphics .
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