The Ambassadors Analysis

INITIAL REACTIONS TO THE WORK My first impression of Hans Holbein the Younger’s painting, The Ambassadors, is an amazing, captivating piece of art from the Renaissance period. I was immediately drawn to the man on the left with his powerful stance and wealthy appearance. It gave me the impression that he was a scholar and possibly royalty by his attire. The representation of the male on the right is a religious or clergy type person, I assumed this by his clothing of a dark cloak with a white collar. I think the two shelves that divide the men in the painting represents the religious reformation during the Renaissance period. My interpretation of the multiple objects on the shelves is they represent both religion and education. My eyes were drawn down to the distorted skull at the bottom center of the painting. It’s a visual puzzle or an anamorphic image which was invented during the Renaissance period. The most …show more content…
The scientific expansion is reflected on the two shelves that display different instruments from that time period. The upper shelf is filled with scientific instruments including a globe, sundial and various other objects. It has been interpreted to represent the heavenly realm, according to Hendricks (2016). The lower shelf is thought to represent the earthly realm, as stated by Hendricks (2016). The lower shelf contains a globe of the earth, a song book, a lute and other objects, that reflects the earthly theme. Self-fashioning is reflected in the detailed attire that the two young men are wearing. For the first time in history the Renaissance period saw clothing used as a tool for self expression. The salient theme of The Ambassador painting is the reformation. It’s important to keep in mind that the Protestant Reformation was underway when Holbein painted The