This painting by Hans Holbein the Younger from 1533 depicts Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve. It is oil on oak and measures 207 x 209.5 cm. It is signed and dated by the artist and was acquired by the National Gallery, London in 1890.

1. Perspective Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective
Perspective Perspective

2. 
Aerial (Bird’s Eye
View)
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Atmospheric
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Linear
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Worm’s Eye

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One of the foremost architects and engineers of the
Italian Renaissance. He is perhaps most famous for his
discovery of perspective and for engineering the dome
of the Florence ... Wikipedia
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Born: 1377, Florence, Italy
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Died: April 15, 1446, Florence, Italy
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Period: Renaissance
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Buried: Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy
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Early in his architectural career (c.
1410-1415), Brunelleschi
rediscovered the principles of linear
perspective, known to ancient
Greeks and Romans, but lost during
the Middle Ages. With these
principles, one can paint or draw
using a single vanishing point,
toward which all lines on the same
plane appear to converge, and
objects appear smaller as they recede
into the distance.

4. 
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n.
A form of perspective in drawing and painting in which parallel lines are
represented as converging so as to give the illusion of depth and distance.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) the branch of perspective in which the
apparent size and shape of objects and their position with respect to foreground
and background are established by actual or suggested lines converging on the
horizon
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

5. "I used to think of [collages] as
drawings or studies for paintings - a
way to compose in color and sharp
contour freely and easily. In a way,
pure abstract drawings. But in the
past several years they've taken on a
life of their own. The materials took
over and the pure joy of making
them on a larger scale suggested new
graphic and compositional
possibilities for both collage and
painting.―
David Kapp

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worm's–eye view
noun
Full Definition of WORM'S-EYE VIEW
: a view as if by a worm from below or the
underside <from both the bird's-eye view of
the executive and the worm's-eye view of the
employee, she has been familiar with industrial
problems — Current Biog.>

19. Woman Holding a Balance embodies a spiritual
principle that is often manifest in Vermeer's work: the
need to lead a balanced life. Though Vermeer's working
methods remain a mystery, it is clear that he constructed
this composition with extreme care. Orthogonal lines to
the vanishing point meet precisely at the woman's
finger.The frame behind her reinforces this focus.
The balance point of the scales is exactly at the center of
the painting. The woman's hands, the jewelry, and the
tabletop form the shape of a pyramid. This imaginary
pyramid supports the woman's hand and encloses the
balance.
Vermeer frequently modified the scale and even the
shape of objects to achieve a desired effect. Note, for
example, that the bottom edge of the frame around the
Last Judgment scene is higher in front of the woman
than behind her, to allow sufficient space for the balance.
The interplay of verticals and horizontals, of mass
against void, and of light against dark creates a carefully
balanced, but never static, composition. This underlying
pictorial structure subtly reinforces the theme of
spiritual moderation.

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The life and art of Johannes Vermeer are closely associated with the city of Delft. Vermeer was born in Delft in 1632 and lived there until
his death in 1675. His father, Reynier Jansz., was a weaver who produced "caffa," a fine satin fabric. In 1631 he also registered in the Saint
Luke's Guild in Delft as a master art dealer. By 1641 he was sufficiently prosperous to purchase a large house with an inn, the "Mechelen,"
on the market square in Delft, where he probably also sold paintings. When Reynier died in 1652 Johannes apparently inherited his
father's business. By that time he must have already decided on a career as a painter. It is assumed that he trained in Delft, perhaps with
Leonaert Bramer (1596-1674), who seems to have had close associations with Vermeer's family, or with Carel Fabritius (1622-1654). No
documents, however, exist about his artistic training or apprenticeship, and he may have studied elsewhere, perhaps in Utrecht or
Amsterdam.
Vermeer, who was baptized on 31 October 1632 in the Reformed Church in Delft, was raised a Protestant. In April 1653 Vermeer married
into a Catholic family and seems to have converted to Catholicism shortly before that date to placate his future mother-in-law, Maria
Thins. Maria Thins lived in the so-called Papists' Corner ("Papenhoek") of Delft, adjacent to one of the two churches where Catholics could
worship, the Jesuit church on the Oude Langendijck. Vermeer and his wife, Catharina Bolnes, eventually moved from the "Mechelen" into
her house. They named their first daughter Maria, in honor of Maria Thins, and their first son Ignatius, after the patron saint of the Jesuit
Order.
Vermeer became a master in the Saint Luke's Guild on 29 December 1653. His aspiration at that time seems to have been to become a
history painter, for his first works were large-scale mythological and religious paintings. Shortly thereafter he began to paint the genre
scenes, landscapes, and allegories for which he has become renowned. While Vermeer's subject matter changed in the mid-1650s, he
nevertheless continued to imbue his later works with the quiet, intimate moods of his early history paintings.
Although very little is known about relationships with other painters who might have influenced the thematic and stylistic direction of his
art, Vermeer apparently knew Gerard ter Borch II, with whom he co-signed a document in 1653. Another artist who may well have had an
impact on his work during the 1650s was Pieter de Hooch, who painted comparable scenes in Delft during that period. Vermeer remained
a respected artist in Delft throughout the rest of his life. He was named hoofdman of the Delft St. Luke's Guild in 1662, 1663, 1670, and
1671.
Vermeer's few works--they number only about thirty-five--were not well known outside of Delft, perhaps because many of them were
concentrated in the collection of a patron in Delft who seems to have had a special relationship with the artist. When Vermeer died,
however, he was heavily in debt, in part because his art dealing business had suffered during the difficult economic times following the
French invasion of the Netherlands in the early 1670s. Vermeer was survived by his wife Catharina and eleven children, eight of whom
were underage. His wife petitioned for bankruptcy the following year. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, the famed Delft microscopist who was
apparently a friend of Vermeer, was named trustee for the estate.

21. Artist
Hans Holbein the Younger
Artist dates
1497/8 - 1543
Full title
Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve ('The
Ambassadors')
Date made
1533
Medium and support
Oil on oak
Dimensions
207 x209.5 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Dated and inscribed
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1890