How are you?
On every Thursday, I am
introducing the stories about various artists and their paintings with the
title “Interesting Art Stories”.
The 28th story for this week is “The
Ambassadors” by the German painter Hans Holbein the Younger.
Hans Holbein the Younger
“The
Ambassadors” is a painting by German painter Hans Holbein the Younger in 1533.
Also known as “Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve”, this painting was
created in the Tudor period, in the same year Elizabeth I was born. It is not
only a double portrait, but also contains several meticulously rendered still
lifes, and the meaning of them has caused a lot of debates up to date. It also
shows a much-cited example of anamorphosis in paintings.
Holbein, who was a
German-born artist but spent most of his time in England, showed the influence
of Early Dutch painters in this work, which is most evident in the use of oil
paint. The most "Flemish" in Holbein's use of oil paint is his use of
the medium to render meticulous details that are mainly symbolic. The figure on
the left is dressed in secular attire, while the figure on the right is dressed
in clerical clothes and the two are standing by a table.
Some scholars argue that
this painting contains overtones of religious strife. The conflicts between
secular and religious authorities are represented by Jean de Dinteville, a
landowner on the left, and Georges de Selve, the Bishop of Lavaur on the right.
The lute with a broken string, commonly accepted symbol of discord, is located
next to a hymnbook. The terrestrial globe on the
lower table is one of the famous parts of this painting and is also referred to
as the “Ambassadors' Globe".
The Ambassadors' globe
The most prominent and
famous Holbein's symbol in this painting is a diagonally distorted skull placed
in the bottom center of the painting.
A diagonally distorted skull
Rendered in anamorphic
perspective, an invention of the Early Renaissance, the skull is a kind of
visual puzzle that requires viewers to approach the painting from high on the right
side or low on the left side to see the exact shape of the skull.
It is evident
that the skull was intended as a vanitas or memento mori, but it is not clear
why Holbein painted it so prominently in this painting.
Vanitas, Antonio de Pereda
Memento mori, Gravestone inscription, Edinburgh. St. Cuthbert's Churchyard (1746)
One possibility is that
this painting represents three aspects such as the heaven portrayed by the
astrolabe and other objects on the upper table, the living world depicted as
books and a musical instrument on the lower table, and death depicted as the
skull.
Another possibility is that Holbein simply wanted to show off his skills
with the technique in order to secure future commissions.
Described as one of the most
impressive portraits of Renaissance art, the painting is now owned by the
National Gallery in London, England.
The National Gallery
Thank you.
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