Dear All, The Holbein 's ambassadors painting is considered a typical "memento mori" and the special tecnique with different perspectives is called "anamorphosis" . what Martin Sheperd says about the picture hung on a staircase is interesting: a famous art expert, Federico Zeri, wrote that on the right side of the original frame, there was a small hole throught which you could see the skull with its correct perspective. best wishes Davide Rebuffa ----- Original Message ----- From: "Martin Shepherd" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2003 10:50 AM Subject: Re: Lute as a vanity
> > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Stewart McCoy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Lute Net <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: 23 October 2003 00:39 > Subject: Re: Lute as a vanity > > > <snip> > > We have been discussing Holbein's "Ambassadors" of late. The most > > significant feature of this painting is the extraordinary skull > > painted in the foreground towards the bottom of the painting., The > > only way you can see that it is a skull is to view the painting with > > your eyes virtually looking across the flat surface of the painting. > I have heard it suggested that the painting was originally hung on a staircase, so that someone standing at the bottom of the stairs (if it was hung on the left) would see the skull "normally" and little else - another aspect of the symbolism? > > <snip> > > By the way, it is perfectly understandable that Holbein should have > > chosen the upper octave of the fourth course for his broken string. > > Apart from the first course, that upper octave fourth is the > > thinnest string on the lute, and so the most likely to break. > > Martin's comment about the thin string being on the bass side (like > > with the baroque guitar) may be hugely significant. > In the Ambassadors the lute has the normal arrangement of octaves - it was the Berlin painting which seemed to show the upper octave on the bass side. > > Best wishes, > > Martin > > > > >
