This rarity is demonstrated by the foot of St. Joseph in the painting The Betrothal of the Virgin (1504) and the hand of St. Sixtus in the famous Sistine Madonna, created between 1513 and 1514.

For a long time this was considered to be a mistake of the great Italian artist and architect of the Renaissance, but several hypotheses have arisen, although the most generally accepted relates to the legend of the birth of people with anomalies at that time. Especially if this feature was present on the right hand, it was considered a manifestation of a kind of sixth sense, the ability to interpret prophetic dreams. There was also a belief that an extra finger on the left hand was a direct manifestation of the devil.

Interestingly, the Sistine Madonna depicts six characters, and the saint’s name means “sixth.” It is also noteworthy that St. Joseph’s foot in “The Betrothal of the Virgin” is directed directly at the viewer, as if emphasizing the extra toe. This birth defect, called polydactyly, has affected famous people of the past such as Anne Boleyn (who had an extra finger on her left hand) and modern figures such as Liam Gallagher, the lead singer of the British band Oasis, who has an extra finger on his left leg.