Die Gesandten (Doppelporträt von Jean de Dinteville und Georges de Selve)

Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve ('The Ambassadors')

Jean de Dinteville (left) was French ambassador to the court of Henry VIII in 1533. The inscription on his dagger reveals he is in his 29th year. Georges de Selve, Bishop of Lavaur (right), visited London in April 1533. The book on which he rests his arm indicates he is in his 25th year. The picture was painted for Dinteville and hung in his family house in Polisy, Champagne. Polisy is marked on the globe next to him.

The meaning of the objects on the shelves has been much debated. The broken string of the lute is symbolic of discord, perhaps the political and religious disharmony in Europe at the time of the Reformation. On the floor between them is a distorted skull. When viewed from the right-hand side, the perspective corrects itself and the symbol of mortality becomes clear. In the top left-hand corner of the picture is a silver crucifix, a reminder of the Christian promise of salvation.