The Ambassadors

  

'The Ambassadors' 1533 - Hans Holbein

    The Image of Hans Holbein’s ‘The Ambassadors’ was painted in 1533, and depicts two men who both appear to be wealthy, educated and powerful with two shelves between them baring a variety of objects and instruments. The upper shelf consists of a celestrial globe, a portable sundial and various other objects that were used for the understanding the skies and heavens. Within the objects on the lower shelf is a lute, flutes, a terrestrial globe and a variety of books, which could be representing the living.

   Certain parts of this painting could be showing the religious division during this period, due to both men standing either end of the shelves, while the instruments and objects upon the shelf separate them as people but maybe each of their beliefs.

   In the foreground of the piece there is an anamorphic skull, which to me represents both men’s distorted views of death and mortality, due to both having less understanding of death and what happens when someone dies causing controversy between both men, compared to the skies and life, which could be why the skull is not on the shelf with the other objects and is on the floor and a very prominent part of this painting, with more attention and focus needed on the subject, which could be why the skull appears in anamorphic form, as much focus and knowledge is needed to decipher that the object is in fact a skull.

   The meaning of ‘The Ambassadors’ often causes much debate and controversy, with the only real person to know the true meaning behind the piece is Holbein, so all I can do is project my views and opinions of the piece like everyone else.