The Ambassadors (detail) 1533 Oil on oak National Gallery, London: Hans Holbein's double portrait is an early example of the friendship portrait. Located in the National Gallery, London the work is a still life double portrait; so lifelike you feel the need to introduce yourself to the depicted gentlemen. Extravagant and spilling mystery Hans Holbein’s “The Ambassadors” is one of the most revolutionary works of 1533. 'Christina of Denmark' is a portrait of a potential wife for the king. As well as being a double portrait, the painting contains a still life of several meticulously rendered objects, the meaning of which is the cause of much debate. Ambassadors is, indeed, a painting that calls for, if not demands, an interpretation. To start with, the painting memorializes Jean de Dinteville, French ambassador to England, and his friend, Georges de Selve, who acted on several occasions as … When Holbein's The Ambassadors was acquired by London's National Gallery in 1890, the identity of the two stately figures was a mystery.It wasn’t until ten years later, with the publication of Mary F. S. Hervey’s book, Holbein's "Ambassadors": The Picture and the Men, that they were identified as Jean de Dinteville (above) and Georges de Selve (below).
Holbein was born in Augsburg in southern Germany in the winter of 1497-8. As well as being painter to the king, Holbein also portrayed numerous noblemen and women, clergymen, landowners, and statesmen. The Ambassadors was painted during Holbein's second stay in England (1532-43), which coincided with Henry VIII's break with Rome - over his decision to anull his marriage with Catherine of Aragon - and the formation of the English Protestant Church. This is a period of turmoil, which is symbolised using different aspects of the painting. It depicts the two French ambassadors to the English court, Jean de Dinteville (1504-1555) and Georges de Selve (1508/09-1541). Hans Holbein the Younger’s “The Ambassadors” of 1533 is well known for its anamorphic image of a skull in the foreground, but upon close perusal, the objects on the table between the two subjects prove just as fascinating. Both of these French Ambassadors are in England, overseeing on behalf of the Pope and French royalty, King Henry the 8th, who is about to break away from the pope in Rome from the Catholic Church. This portrait was additionally painted during the Renaissance. 'The Ambassadors', also from this period, depicts two visitors to the court of Henry VIII. The Ambassadors (1533) is a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger.Also known as Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve, it was created in the Tudor period, in the same year Elizabeth I was born. He was taught by his father, Hans Holbein the Elder. He became a member of the Basel artists' guild in 1519.
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