The Ambassadors Hans Holbein (German), 1533 Oil on canvas (see below for larger version)

When I first saw this painting, I thought, “Here’s a Renaissance painting you don’t see everyday.” I think this painting has just as much mystery to it than the Mona Lisa, and it doesn’t get any attention at all.

In 1533 artisan Hans Holbein painted “The Ambassadors” (see below for a larger version of the painting), a portrait of Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selves of Henry VIII’s court.

Holbein named his masterpiece of both popular appeal and artistic skill “The Ambassadors”. Nearly 5 centuries later the painting remains as an outstanding example of anamorphism.

Anamorphism is the name given to the painting style in which all the elements of the scene are not visible from the same point of view. In the case of Hans Holbein’s The Ambassadors the viewer must stand at an odd angle to decipher the grey smear at the bottom of the painting, which then reveals itself to be a skull. Look very carefully. Can you see it ?

Clearly this painting is meant to display symbols of cultural importance and the exhibits are lightly cloaked in this case. What are somewhat more mystifying are the painting’s meaning and, more specifically, the meaning of the anamorphic skull at the bottom of the picture. When everything else in the picture has been painstakingly crafted to appear as similar to real-life as possible, why is there a skull that can only be seen correctly by looking from the side of the painting?

Scholars largely agree that the objects between the men, Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selves, represent the 7 liberal arts popularized during the Renaissance: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. What is more open to interpretation and argument is the overall meaning of the painting, and also just what the heck is up with that gray smear at the bottom of it?

Renaissance scholar Jeremy Brotton articulates an argument in which Holbein’s main motivation for The Ambassadors was the religious struggle between King Henry VIII and the Catholic Church, one that emerges as a faulty conclusion. There are a few symbols of religious conflict present in the painting:

• the open hymnbook,
• the silver crucifix hidden and,
• more vaguely, a lute with a broken string to symbolize discord

There are many more objects to make up a greater picture than religious conflict. Jeremy Brotton’s explanation that the painting’s 2 men, the ambassadors, were attempting to reconnect Henry VIII with the catholic to prevent territorial conflict may have been accurate, however, Brotton’s interpretation leaves out many of the painting’s other notable symbols.

Can anyone see anything else that is interesting to note ? Please leave your comments below. Here is a larger version of the painting, since a few of you commented that you cannot enlarge it. I was able to, so thank you for telling me.

deletereply starfishred wrote on Dec 19, ’08 Well it is a lovely painting and I was never one for trying to guess why he put this or that in and for what reason-I love to enjoy the overall effect-glad you did this thanks ps the enlarging didn’t work for me

deletereply caramonmajere wrote on Dec 20, ’08 Sorry to say, enlarging didn’t work for me either. It’s a nice painting. Thanks

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Dec 20, ’08 I added a larger version of the painting for you to see. Thank you for telling me that you couldn’t enlarge it.

deletereply caramonmajere wrote on Dec 20, ’08 TY, I can see it a lot better now.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Dec 20, ’08 Can you see the picture of the skull at the bottom ? Look carefully.

deletereply caramonmajere wrote on Dec 20, ’08 Oh yes I can, TY

deletereply forgetmenot525 wrote on Dec 23, ’08 This is an really interesting painting, he was obviously a master draftsperson and understood perspective perfectly, I think the skull is just a bit of academic ‘showing off’ on his behalf, only those who are equally brilliant and move in the same circles would instantly see this as a skull drawn from a very unusual perspective. I think he is a clever man showing off to other clever men and demonstrating their new found Renaissance learning and understanding of perspectives. Great example of Renaissance Art