This Might Just Be The Most Remarkable Painting Ever Made
A whole world captured in a single image
This painting has everything. It is a full-length double portrait — one of the earliest in art history. It also presents an allegory, a warning, and a compendium of the science and culture of the age.
The image was painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1533, and it contains a plethora of astonishing detail.
It shows two Frenchmen — the ambassadors of the painting’s title. On the left stands Jean de Dinteville, a diplomat posted to London. The globe on the bottom shelf includes the position of Polisy where his château was located — and also where the painting would eventually be housed. An inventory of 1589, records it hanging in the Great Hall of the château. In his right hand, de Dinteville holds an ornamented knife, giving his age as 29.
To his left stands his friend, Georges de Selve, a French bishop and fellow diplomat. It was his visit to London that the painting commemorates. His age — 25 years — is inscribed on the pages of the book beside him.
