The Ambassador’s Secret: Holbein and the World of the Renaissance

The Ambassadors¿ Secret is a radical reinterpretation of one of the world¿s most famous paintings. Holbein¿s celebrated portrait of two French diplomats at the court of Henry VIII has usually been linked to the political and religious unrest of the day. John North shows that the painting has a very different, and previously undetected, central theme and many other meanings. Far from being random, the objects in The Ambassadors are deliberately, and very accurately, placed. In revealing exactly what they, and the painting, mean, The Ambassadors¿ Secret opens a remarkable window on the world of the Renaissance.