of Devil found in detail of Giotto fresco in Italy's Assisi

Yeah, so do you notice the hidden image of the devil? Heh. It's circled in the red & easier to see if you tilt your head to the left. See, you found it?

Giotto di Bondone or simply Giotto was really a brilliant artist. He knew that no one would have discovered the hidden image at least till later years with the powerful camera & zoom functions. Heh.

If you like his work, you may want to check out his other masterpieces here.

Art restorers have discovered the figure of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturday.

The devil was hidden in the details of clouds at the top of fresco number 20 in the cycle of the scenes in the life and death of St Francis painted by Giotto in the 13th century.

The discovery was made by Italian art historian Chiara Frugone. It shows a profile of a figure with a hooked nose, a sly smile, and dark horns hidden among the clouds in the panel of the scene depicting the death of St Francis.

The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica but emerges clearly in close-up photography.

Sergio Fusetti, the chief restorer of the basilica, said Giotto probably never wanted the image of the devil to be a main part of the fresco and may have painted it in among the clouds "to have a bit of fun."

The master may have painted it to spite someone he knew by portraying him as a devil in the painting, Fusetti said on the convent's website.

The artwork in the basilica in the convent where St Francis is buried was last restored after it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1997.

From Yahoo! News, "Devil found in detail of Giotto fresco in Italy's Assisi".