Even though Nike was founded in 1964, the marking on the shoes in the painting resembles the Nike logo in no way whatsoever.

The painting in question is regarded as one of Ferdinand Bol’s finest works and is called, ‘Portrait of Frederick Sluysken’, and for some, this piece has opened the debate once again about time travelling.

The National Gallery in London describes the painting, “The boy is elegantly attired in a grey suit and matching cloak, trimmed with shiny gold buttons and ribbon bows; his wide-brimmed hat is hooked over the back of a chair behind him.”

Now you don’t need to be much of a sneakerhead to be familiar with Nike’s first sneaker, the Moon Shoe.

And if not the name, you’ll be familiar with the aesthetic which was later remodelled and re-released as the Cortez - remember the shoes Forest Gump wore? So originally it was a track shoe with a waffle sole and would later be known as the Waffle Racer.

At no point did Nike release a shoe that looked like it belonged in every way to the 17th century, save for their famous swoosh adorning the side.

Okay, so what is the marking on the side of the shoe in the painting then? I don’t know. I’ve no idea and I’ve no way of knowing any more than I can begin to investigate the spacing of the buttons on the boy’s shirt or the size of the lemons on the table next to him. All I know for sure is those shoes aren’t 400-year-old Nikes.