For Closer Look: Holbein’s The Ambassadors: The painting was commissioned as a portrait, but its allegorical content renders it far more complex than most portraiture. How does this complexity underscore its humanist principles, and why would the two ambassadors want to present themselves in humanist terms?
What will be an ideal response?
In The Ambassadors, Holbein depicts many of the implements that reflect the humanist interests of the day, including tools that identify the occupation of the sitters. The presence of a sundial, ruler, and woodcutting knife point to notions of time and the creation of astronomical tools. The inclusion of musical instruments and sheet music points to interest in the arts and the inclusion of a globe points to trade and expansion, all humanist themes.
The ambassadors were sent to England to represent the interests of the Catholic Church and to negotiate with Henry about his insistence on annulling his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, marrying Anne Boleyn, and the subsequent separation of the Church of England from the Catholic Church. The objects on the two-tiered table between the ambassadors—the Lutheran hymnal, the terrestrial globe, the celestial globe, and the astronomical instruments—all indicate the men’s willingness to strike a balance between Catholic and Protestant interests.
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a. Miriam Schapiro b. Cindy Sherman c. Susan Rothenberg d. Judy Chicago
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A. daily life and festivities B. funerary rituals C. gods and giants D. family and community