Hans Holbein the Younger
Erasmus Writing
From $80
This painting is emerald green, black and crimson, and a cheap copy flattens the instruments. Our Holbein The Ambassadors print was graded from a high-resolution master so every globe, lute string and fur stays sharp.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
16x16 inch, 20x20 inch, 24x24 inch, 30x30 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its square shape suits a study, a reading corner or a gallery wall. The greens and crimsons look warm with cream, sage and natural oak, and a black or gold frame suits it.
About the painting
The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger
Two envoys
In 1533 Holbein painted Jean de Dinteville, French ambassador to Henry VIII, and Georges de Selve, a bishop, before a green curtain.
A shelf of clues
Between them: globes of earth and sky, sundials, a quadrant, a lute with a broken string beside a Lutheran hymn book. Dinteville’s home, Polisy, is marked on the globe.
The skull
Across the floor stretches a strange grey shape. Seen from the side, it becomes a skull: a famous trick of perspective, and a reminder of death. It hangs in the National Gallery, London.
Read the story
Two men stand on either side of a cluttered shelf. On the left, a Frenchman in a great fur-lined coat. On the right, a man in a long dark gown. Between them are globes of the earth and the sky, sundials, a quadrant, books, and a lute.
Hans Holbein painted them in London in 1533. The man on the left is Jean de Dinteville, the French ambassador to King Henry the Eighth. The man on the right is Georges de Selve, a French bishop and his friend.
Look closely at the shelf. The lute has a broken string, and beside it lies a hymn book in Martin Luther's translation: perhaps a sign of the religious quarrels of the time. On the globe, Holbein has marked Dinteville's home, a place called Polisy.
And then look at the floor. Across it stretches a strange, grey, slanting shape. Stand to the side of the painting and it becomes a skull: a famous trick of perspective, a reminder that death is always there.
High in the top left corner, half hidden by the curtain, is a small crucifix.
The National Gallery in London bought the painting in 1890.
The Ambassadors. Hans Holbein the Younger, 1533.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
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Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
