Start your adventure

Find the objects. Conquer the maze. Unlock ancient secrets!

A National Gallery treasure

The Ambassadors' is a painting full of clues, symbols, and mystery.

At first glance, the picture celebrates two wealthy, educated and powerful young men.

On the left is Jean de Dinteville, aged 29, the French ambassador to England in 1533.

Hans Holbein the Younger

To the right stands his friend, Georges de Selve, 25, the Bishop of Lavaur, who acted as ambassador to the Emperor, the Venetian Republic, and the Holy See.

Hans Holbein the Younger

Making sense of our place in the universe

On the upper shelf there's a celestial globe, a portable sundial, and other instruments for understanding the heavens and measuring time.

Some details could be seen as references to religious tensions at the time.

The lute was among the most popular instruments of the 16th century. The broken string could symbolise religious discord...

...while this Lutheran hymn book might suggest a plea for Christian harmony.

Hans Holbein the Younger

But perhaps the greatest mystery is the strange object that appears to have been smeared across the front of the painting.

Visit the painting at the National Gallery in London, walk to the right and look back across the surface. All of a sudden, you see that it's a skull. Some say that the skull is a message about how close we are to death in daily life.

Hidden in the upper left-hand corner of the canvas is Christ on the crucifix.

For Holbein and his contemporaries, Christ’s presence on the canvas meant only one thing - a symbol of salvation.

Decode 'The Ambassadors'

Click on the dots to find the clues

Learn more
What's this hidden image?
Clue: It's a matter of life and death!
A Skull
The 'anamorphosis' skull appears 3D if you stand at the bottom right of the canvas

What's your favorite color?

Discover over 100,000 artworks by color

Poetry in motion

6 spices that changed the world

Discover the variety of flavors found on Indonesian shores

Now learn more about spices

Spice Up The World

Guess the artwork from the pieces

Click here to find out the answer
Which ancient city is this?
Clue: it was built by the Incas in the 15th century
Machu Picchu
Incan ruins at Machu Picchu, Dmitri Kessel, LIFE

Explore in 3D

Search 3D objects

Museum spotlight

The Jewish Museum Frankfurt is the oldest major Jewish Museum in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is a place to experience Jewish cultures in the past and present.

See the collection

Explore in high definition

The details you might have missed

More artworks

How Does Ophelia Connect to Oklahoma?

Discover connections between culture with Machine Learning

Google apps