Portrait of Robert Burns contains ‘hidden’ Masonic symbols
A series of Masonic signs have been found “hidden” in paintings of Scotland’s bard Robert Burns by one of the nation’s greatest painters.
Tiny letters and symbols – including a comet and hooded figures – have been painted in minute detail invisible to the naked eye in a series of paintings by Alexander Nasmyth, a contemporary of Burns, according to an expert on the Bard.
The existence of the signs was only uncovered when a portrait of Burns was cleaned and the owner spotted some writing on it.
Burns expert Jerry Brannigan scrutinised the painting and other works by Nasmyth. He believes the marks were placed as Masonic symbols by the artist, who, along with Burns, was a high-ranking member of the Freemasons.
He presented his theory on the “Da Vinci code of paintings” for the first time at a conference held by the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayr.
The lost portrait, in which the first marks were discovered, was only authenticated as a Nasmyth painting in 2013 after being bought at an auction. Brannigan, who co-authored the book Robert Burns In Edinburgh, said: “This is a bit like the Da Vinci code for paintings – the same kind of mysterious signs and emblems that run through everything.
“There is a Masonic saying of ‘hidden in plain sight’. It is very true as things are kind of hidden right in front of you.”