The stories, symbols and history behind great art

Everyone Sees the Skull. Almost Nobody Sees This.

October 30, 2026

A ten-minute documentary on Holbein's The Ambassadors (1533): the two men, the objects on the shelves, the anamorphic skull and the detail most viewers miss.

The video is in English. For sources, read our article on the skull and the crucifix.

Watch on YouTube

Artworks

Image not reproduced
Hans Holbein the YoungerThe Ambassadors, 1533The National Gallery, London

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The Ambassadors: Holbein's Skull and the Crucifix Almost Nobody Sees
Everyone notices the stretched skull at the feet of Holbein's two ambassadors. Fewer notice the small crucifix half hidden behind the curtain, or what the objects on the shelves are telling us.