Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Holbein—
The Ambassadors
(1533)
Italian 3-D even shows up in this work by German-born Hans Holbein the Younger, who
settled in England to create portraits for Henry VIII. Two well-dressed, suave men flank a
shelf full of books, globes, navigational tools, and musical instruments—objects that sym-
bolize the secular knowledge of the Renaissance. Almost forgotten is the tiny crucifix in
the upper-left corner. So what's with the gray, slanting blob at the bottom? If you view the
blob from the right-hand edge of the painting (get real close, right up to the frame), the
blob suddenly becomes...a skull. In painting terms, the optical illusion is called an ana-
mori, a reminder that—despite the fine clothes, proud poses, and worldly knowledge—we
will all die.
