What would you do if you discovered your identical twin lived nearly 400 years before you? That's the surreal proposition facing Hollywood legend Robert De Niro, after a museum in Poland identified his spitting image in a 17th-century nobleman's portrait.
The Uncanny Historical Lookalike
The National Museum in Wrocław, Poland's third-largest city, is home to a painting causing considerable excitement among visitors. The portrait, created by Bartlomiej Strobel around 1628-1629, depicts Johann Vogt, a 52-year-old landowner and member of the Wrocław city council. Visitors have been struck by his remarkable similarity to the Godfather star.
The resemblance goes beyond mere facial structure. Johann Vogt sports the exact same unique mole on his right cheek as the celebrated actor. Piotr Oszczanowski, director of the National Museum, observed that the pair share "a few distinctive features in common" and possess "the same twinkle in their eyes."
A Portrait's Journey to Fame
According to the Historia Poszukaj website, any fan of Robert De Niro is in for a surprise when visiting the gallery of modern Silesian art. The doppelgänger's face, subtly modelled and set against a neutral background, peers out from a richly carved and gilded frame. The painting's date suggests it portrays Johann (1576–1636), the starost of Wrocław, who had served on the city council since 1614 and was married to Maria Säbisch.
The portrait has risen to prominence specifically because of Vogt's astonishing resemblance to De Niro, or perhaps the actor's uncanny similarity to a man who lived centuries before him.
An Invitation Across the Centuries
The museum seized an opportunity earlier this month when De Niro visited Poland, where his Nobu hospitality group has investments in Warsaw and Kraków. In a social media post, the museum extended a direct invitation: "Robert de Niro in Poland! During his visit, will he visit Wroclaw to see the portrait of his 'ancestor' displayed in our Museum?"
This was not the first time the museum has tried to connect the actor with his historical counterpart; a previous invitation was issued in 2017. On that occasion, the actor did not make an appearance. The museum and art enthusiasts now wait to see if the second invitation will prove more successful, potentially creating a remarkable meeting across the centuries.
