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All the United Kingdom England London 'The Ambassadors'
AO Edited

'The Ambassadors'

A mysterious shape catches the eye in this 16th-century painting.

London, England

Added By
Luis Morato
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The Ambassadors by Holbein the younger.   Google Art Project/public domain
The skull.   Google Cultural Institute/public domain
Spoon “trick” to see the skull on “the Ambassadors” by Hans Holbein the Younger.   Dake/creative commons
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Room 12, 2ND Floor   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Front view of the image within its frame.   loremipsum / Atlas Obscura User
‘The Ambassadors’   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This work by German master Hans Holbein the Younger is dated to 1533 and was commissioned by Jean de Dinteville, French ambassador to England, who appears in the painting on the left. The other character is his friend George de Selves, a scholar and diplomat.

The painting is rich with symbolism. It includes two spectacular globes, an arithmetic book, a sundial, a shepherd’s dial, and more. It’s believed they’re symbolic of the political and religious divisions of the time. But without a doubt, the strangest object is the unusual disc that appears in the center of the painting, which almost looks like it was slapped atop the artwork.

It was eventually discovered that the mysterious shape is actually a skull, painted as an anamorphic perspective. It’s basically a puzzle; an image that remains distorted unless viewed from a specific vantage point. If you look at the blob-like structure from either high on its right side or low on its left side, you’ll see it takes the shape of a human skull. Art historians believe the artist painted the reflection of the skull on the convex part of a spoon to deform it.

It’s unclear why the artist included the anamorphic skull. Some assume it’s a memento mori, a reminder of death’s looming presence. Others believe it could be the artist’s signature, as his name translates to “hollow bone.” And others think the artist may have included it just to show he was capable of the skill.

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Art Art Museum Skulls

Know Before You Go

The painting is a masterpiece displayed at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London.

The picture is currently located on Level 2 in Zone C, Room 12, directly around the corner from the shop. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Luis Morato

Edited By

jooniur, Snowdrop68, SEANETTA, Kerry Wolfe...

  • jooniur
  • Snowdrop68
  • SEANETTA
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • rbenn250
  • Xavixavir
  • loremipsum
  • dis2nd

Published

July 11, 2019

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Sources
  • https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_embajadores
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ambassadors_(Holbein)
'The Ambassadors'
2 St. Martin's Pl
London, England, WC2H 0NN
United Kingdom
51.508929, -0.128299
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