The Ambassadors (Holbein) in the context of "Iconography"

⭐ In the context of Iconography, *The Ambassadors* (Holbein) is considered a significant subject for study primarily because of…

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⭐ Core Definition: The Ambassadors (Holbein)

The Ambassadors is a 1533 painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. Also known as Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve, after the two people it portrays, it was created in the Tudor period, in the same year Elizabeth I was born. Franny Moyle speculates that Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, then Queen of England, might have commissioned it as a gift for Jean de Dinteville, the French ambassador, portrayed on the left. De Selve was a Catholic bishop.

As well as being a double portrait, the painting contains a still life of meticulously rendered objects, the meaning of which is the cause of much debate. An array of expensive scientific objects, related to knowing the time and the cosmos are prominently displayed. Several refer to Rome, the seat of the Pope. A second shelf of objects shows a lute with a broken string, a symbol of discord, next to a hymnal composed by Martin Luther.

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👉 The Ambassadors (Holbein) in the context of Iconography

Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct from artistic style. The word iconography comes from the Greek εἰκών ("image") and γράφειν ("to write" or to draw).

A secondary meaning (based on a non-standard translation of the Greek and Russian equivalent terms) is the production or study of the religious images, called "icons", in the Byzantine and Orthodox Christian tradition. This usage is mostly found in works translated from languages such as Greek or Russian, with the correct term being "icon painting".

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In this Dossier
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Iconography ← Christian iconography
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Hans Holbein the Younger → Jean de Dinteville → Georges de Selve → Tudor period → Elizabeth I → Franny Moyle → Anne Boleyn → Catholic bishop → Portrait → Still life →