The Ambassadors

Hans Holbein the Younger

The Ambassadors

1533

oil on oak

Length: 209.5 cm. Height: 207 cm.

National Gallery, London, England

As for iconography, the debate focuses mainly on the seemingly disguised skull in the painting. One suggestion is that he could have just been trying to showcase his skills for future commissions. There is also the idea of the painting having a more religious meaning to it in that it represents heaven, the living world, and death through specific symbolism. The hymnal represented heaven, while the other books and instruments implied a living world. Holbein could have also meant the skull, as well as the crucifix in the corner, to be a reminder of death, which was common for Northern Renaissance art.

The skull’s purpose as a memento mori and its position between the men leads to the question of its relevance to the figures and who the figures actually are. This was of great controversy before the book Holbein’s Ambassadors: The Picture and the Men was published. Symbols discovered in the painting as well as other manuscripts found lead to the discovery of the identity of the figures as Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve. One of these symbols is the globe that is labeled with Dinteville’s home. For a painting that at first glance would seem as if it were simply a portrait, it created a great amount of controversy.