Emily Chan
A Boy in a Red-Lined Cloak
Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s A Boy in a Red-Lined Cloak is also part of Cleveland’s collection. The potentially haunted painting dates back to the 1780s. Some people have suggested that the boy featured in the painting is Alexander Evariste Fragonard, the artist’s son. However, this has never been officially confirmed.
The painting is believed to be haunted because it has been known to move sometimes from one exhibit case to another without any solid explanation. As a result, people think it is moving on its own.
Portrait of General Bonaparte
There’s a haunted unfinished painting of Napoleon hanging in the Louvre by Jacques-Louis David. It was created from 1797 to 1798. According to legend, a soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars was a huge fan of the emperor and desired to see his portrait.
Sadly, he died at the Battle of Waterloo before he got the chance to see it. Apparently, his ghost lingers around the portrait at the Louvre. Visitors have claimed to spot him giving a military salute or in tears.
Man Proposes, God Disposes
The 1864 piece Man Proposes, God Disposes by Edwin Landseer is on display at Royal Holloway, University of London. It portrays two polar bears eating the remains of a shipwreck from Sir John Franklin’s failed mission to find the Northwest Passage.
It is believed to be unlucky to take an exam in front of the painting. There’s even a legend that a student died after doing so. The story wasn’t true, but the legend has caused so much unease that the staff have covered the painting during exams since the 1970s.
