Holbein: the Ambassadors

by Tracy Borman

Yale University Press HOLBEIN THE AMBASSADORS ABISBOOK Yale University Press.

Genres: Nonfiction

63 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Tracy Borman, PhD, FRHistS, FSA is a historian and author from Scothern, United Kingdom. She is most widely known as the author of Elizabeth's Women.

Borman was born and brought up in the village of Scothern, England near Lincoln. She was educated at Scothern Primary School (now Ellison Boulters School), William Farr School, Welton, and Yarborough School, Lincoln. She taught history at the University of Hull, where she was awarded a Ph.D in 1997. Elizabeth's Women was serialized and became a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week in September 2009. Tracy Borman appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, also in September 2009

Reviews

[Heidi Malagisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have a favorite painting? One that grabs your attention whenever you look at it and discover something new. Most paintings are from da Vinci, van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, or Michelangelo, just to name a few. However, there is one artist that I feel doesn’t get a whole lot of attention unless you study the 16th century: Hans Holbein the Younger. While Holbein is known for his single portraits, his double portrait, known as The Ambassadors, is stunning to look at and is filled with symbolism. Tracy Borman, in collaboration with the National Gallery, has written a short book about this remarkable painting entitled “Holbein: The Ambassadors.”

Since this is a small book (less than a hundred pages), I will keep this review brief. The Ambassadors is a painting most likely commissioned in 1533 by Hans Holbein the Younger. For years, the identity of the sitters has been debated, but they were finally identified as Jean de Dinteville, the French ambassador to England, and Georges de Selve, ambassador to Emperor Charles V. At the time of the painting of this double portrait, England was in the midst of the Great Matter, the divorce of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, so a few elements are alluding to the changes happening in Europe during this time, which Borman explores in depth. She also explores the life of “the King’s Painter” Hans Holbein the Younger and how you can see his distinct style in this piece. Finally, Borman also explores how the painting was kept for centuries, as well as the research that was conducted on it, and the preservation processes that the National Gallery

This was a fun and informative little book about one of my favorite paintings. It gave me a new appreciation for Holbein and this stunning painting. If you want a book about a piece of art from the 16th century, you should check out “Holbein: The Ambassadors” by Tracy Borman.

[Marie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short introduction to Holbein’s painting, The Ambassadors. The story of Holbein, or Henry VIII’s court painter is quite fascinating. Traveling at the time to become a court painter in a foreign country (or here from Germany/Switzerland to the UK) was most likely a big privilege, as was the occupation of ambassador. 1533 was the heart of the Renaissance. All of the elements such as the Bible, the globe and the mathematical instruments highlight such a change in Europe and the world. The skull represented in anamorphosis is also quite intriguing and in a way chilling as it reminds the audience of human mortality.

What surprised me the most was that Dinteville, the man on the left was from the Champagne region and that as a non royal with de Selve this project was an ambitious commission for Holbein.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight forward and simple analysis of the ambassador’s by Holbein

Would have been nice if there was more, but this book should be taken as introductory or as a casual read for Tudor enthusiasts.