@bymuseum: The Ambassadors (1533) By Hans Holbein the Younger 📍 The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom There's a human skull hidden in this painting. But you can't see it properly from the front. Hans Holbein painted two important Renaissance men surrounded by objects representing wealth and knowledge. Yet some details suggest something more troubling. A lute has a broken string. A flute is missing from its case. An arithmetic book is open to a passage about division. These details may reflect the political and religious conflicts of sixteenth-century Europe. And that strange shape across the floor? It's a skull, distorted using an optical technique called anamorphosis. Viewed from the right angle, it becomes recognizable. But there's another hidden detail: a tiny crucifix behind the green curtain in the upper-left corner. The skull reminds us of death, while the crucifix may suggest Christian salvation. Which detail would you have noticed first? Follow @bymuseum for more stories behind famous paintings.
