Consider Holbein's The Ambassadors. This painting highlights human achievement and institutions as personified by these men and the symbolic instruments on the shelves behind them. Identify the subjects and discuss the symbolism of the objects in this work. How does the distorted object in the foreground transform the painting's meaning?

What will be an ideal response?

Holbein's mastery of oil paint rendered detailed objects that are mainly symbolic. The two figures, both ambassadors, flank a table richly laden with objects symbolizing the four humanist sciences of music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. The table cover, an imported Islamic rug, speaks of contacts with the wider world. A globe reminds us of the age of Renaissance exploration and discovery. A broken lute string and a hymnal page by Martin Luther symbolize the discord generated by Luther's accusations. The most intriguing element in the painting is the anamorphic foreground shape. Meant to be a visual puzzle, it represents a memento mori, a remembrance of mortality, and employs a skewed skull to suggest death cuts across life, taking us by surprise.