This famous painting known as "The Ambassadors" was painted by a well known painter called Holbein. This is painted on oak with oil in the year 1533. This painting illustrates some selected exploring items. The painting includes 2 globes; one terrestrial and celestial, a quadrant, a torquetum and a polyhedral sundial. It also includes the texture on the floor which is mosaic, and based on the design from Westminster Abbey.This symbolizes the presence of exploration and knowledge back in the Renaissance. This is shown through the objects that are present in this painting such as the globes and the telescopes. As people started to explore more and share their ideas. Some would inquire about humans and their world. Some people looked for their answers in church, but others looked for their own answers through scientific methods. An example from the renaissance, would be Galileo Galilee. He looked for his own answers by inventing the telescope and many other instruments to help him search for his answers. The big change in this painting is that it is secular and the ambassadors are looking exactly at the painter.
This painting also uses art techniques like; using shadows, depth and the use of perspective. The focal point is this painting are the instruments that are place on the table. These new art techniques have enhanced the realism of paintings back in the renaissance. Renaissance artist would look more into details and to make the painting look life-like. These new art techniques led to knowledge of art which leads to patronizing more professionals around the world. This would also contribute to the rivalry between the city states. All this then made art the center of civilization in the renaissance.
In this painting, the most notable famous symbol by Holbein is the skewed skull that is placed at the bottom center of the carpet. The skull, which was another invention of the renaissance, is meant to be some sort of a visual puzzle as it asks the viewer to look closely from the side to see the "form morph" into a human skull. The meaning of this skull is very unclear. Why would Holbein use such a symbol for this kind of painting? The possibilities are that it might represent "the heaven", "the living" and "death". Holbein must have put this to remind the others about their future.
