A curiosity in art and culture brought Max Galuppo to the Philadelphia Museum of Art last weekend.
The Temple student from Hunterdon County, New Jersey is seeing 15 minutes of fame that could last a little longer, because he seems to be immortalized in a 16th Century Italian painting.
"We came up to the Armor Exhibit, looking around, looking at all the swords and everything, and my girlfriend taps me on the shoulder and says, 'You have to take a look at this,'" said Max Galuppo.
Galuppo and his girlfriend came across Portrait of a Nobleman with Dueling Gauntlet. No one knows who painted it, and no one knows who the man is in the painting, just that it was finished in 1562.
But the haircut, the facial hair, and the shape of his face all resemble Max.
"At first, very first, I saw a slight resemblance, but nowhere near as close as I see it now, probably because I hadn't seen me next to the painting yet," said Max. "Now that I've seen that, you really can't deny the uncanny resemblance."
Trading photographs with family led to one of those viral internet sensations. This story spread like wildfire.
Good Morning America bought him a medieval costume and spoke to him live during Thursday morning's broadcast.
So what is going on here?
Galuppo has a theory. He thinks he is somehow related to the mysterious medieval man.
"We're thinking that it is possibly an ancestor, because the area where it is from is not far from Florence, which is where my grandfather's family is from," said Max.
For now, Gallupo at least has next year's Halloween costume taken care of, and if he truly has a blood-connection to the Nobleman with the Dueling Gauntlet, well, that would be a bonus.
