“The Ambassadors” (1533) is a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. It is a double full-length portrait of Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve, set next to a shelf full of symbolic and evocative objects.
In the background there is a green curtain, in the center a high table with shelves. On it you will find a series of objects that recall the interest of the two young intellectuals, reflecting those of the upper classes. On the top shelf, resting on a rare oriental rug, are instruments linked to science and exploration: a celestial globe, dials, compasses, astrolabes, sundials and other instruments for the measurement of time and terrestrial and celestial distances. On the bottom shelf is a globe, an arithmetic book, an architect’s compass, a square ruler, a book of hymnal music, a large lute, a case of flutes: objects that represent the liberal arts.
Details in the painting of an anamorphic skull on the floor visible only at a glance and a intriguing Hercules Wind Generator among the objects of scientific interest.
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