Holbein's extraordinary 'Ambassadors'

Holbein's extraordinary 'Ambassadors' | National Gallery

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6 жыл бұрын

Who were the French ambassadors so elegantly depicted in Holbein's masterpiece and how did King Henry VIII's astronomer become involved? Find out all this and more with Susan Foister, our Deputy Director and Director of Public Engagement.
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Пікірлер: 342

@drnik67 3 жыл бұрын

These lectures by the National Gallery are absolute gems. What a wonderful resource we have access to.

@liamog803 2 жыл бұрын

Typical bias views of art to suit your BREXIT phobias

@weehudyy 2 жыл бұрын

@@liamog803 Do you ever get tired of forcing your own limited world view on to everything ?

@markedmundhutcheson8139 Жыл бұрын

Hear! Hear!

@user-yd6ef1yo9d 8 ай бұрын

The most obvious feasture of the painting --which goes unremarked here--is the extraordinary inflation of the King's actual physique. Holbein wisely chose to please the King and ensure that his own physique is not abruptly shortened by order of the King.

@graphiquejack 5 ай бұрын

One detail the lecturer didn't mention, the floor is in fact a representation of the cosmati/mosaic stone at the high alter in Westminster Abbey, which is where monarchs are crowned. This could be a face-value reference to the coronation of Anne Boleyn which is why the Ambassadors were in England at the time, or another reference to time and the heavens, as the mosaic is a complicated representation of the cosmos.

@elenavassilieva9406 4 жыл бұрын

This lady (Susan Foister?) is such a good speaker and her English is so correct and the pronunciation is clear and perfect. Her lecture is good not only for those who are interested in Art, but also for those who are improving English language skills.

@lucast3006 3 жыл бұрын

I agree completely. I find it interesting that you capitalize Art; you must have a lot of reverence for it.

@brendonmcmorrow3886 2 жыл бұрын

She is extremely knowledgeable and a highly effective communicator. Her books are certainly worth a look.

@MrRufusRToyota 2 жыл бұрын

She’s English. She speaks English. I’m American. I speak American.

@swimminginhoney 2 жыл бұрын

@@MrRufusRToyota Haha I'm sorry to say that Americans still speak English. It is the same language.

@MrRufusRToyota 2 жыл бұрын

@@swimminginhoney And Jamaicans?

@martinchandler9205 3 ай бұрын

In todays 24 hours I know 38 minutes and 23 seconds were spent valuably. Thank you I will now make the single bus journey from my home to stand in awe before this wonderful piece of art.

@KayEl58 3 ай бұрын

It took me by surprise when I saw it in the early 1980's. I stood staring at it for about twenty minutes before my companion dragged me away!

@RichMitch 4 жыл бұрын

You can see why she's the director of public engagement. Great talk

@seltonk5136 4 жыл бұрын

Rich Mitch don’t like her ghetto accent dudes in the painting look foolish

@stephenp1461 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah she is a great speaker

@lizmerrick6883 2 жыл бұрын

I love Dr. Foister's presentations. She has a passion for Holbein and the history of the time. A great storyteller and art historian.

@mattakubodimasen10 4 жыл бұрын

These people are basically giving full lectures aboute a masterpiece in 40 minutes. Amazing truly

@mattakubodimasen10 4 жыл бұрын

@@seltonk5136 the thing you do with your butt? I'm more of a one quick hit person if I can judge myself. I think I used to do longer ones when I was in kindergarten, but once you go to school you really have to learn to control them amiright?

@kimclarke5018 4 жыл бұрын

Selton K you are a heathen and need to stop commenting because it is obvious you have little education. Troll.

@user-jk5us5ko2z 5 ай бұрын

Fantastic presentation, so accurate and informative as well as inspiring. Thank you so much.

@mikenadin6435 9 ай бұрын

I was startled by this painting when I first saw it! I am pretty much house bound now so these excellent NG talks are a godsend.

@nationalgallery 9 ай бұрын

We're pleased to hear you're enjoying our talks, thank you for watching.

@dillank3240 Жыл бұрын

This was my favourite painting in the whole National Gallery. I am glad I found this.

@robynjones7691 2 жыл бұрын

A tour de force presentation of a tour de force painting! Clarity and conciseness with erudition. Not a pause or stumble to be heard. Bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@d_willLife Жыл бұрын

I saw this painting in 2006. One of the main reasons I went back to the gallery at least two more times before going back home.

@lisascenic 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your fascinating insights into this enigmatic painting.

@nationalgallery 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching :)

@jamessheridan4306 2 жыл бұрын

This is my first 'trip' to the NG since 1984!. I must say that though I'd much prefer being there in person, it is a thrilling compensation to be able to observe details in close-up that wouldn't be possible otherwise. A wonderful visit in this time of pandemic.

@davidkoblesky 4 жыл бұрын

These National Gallery Talks are fantastic. Please keep making them!

@gunther5980 5 жыл бұрын

I esp liked this presentation, the lady is a very good narrator.

@napoleonsdauphin 5 жыл бұрын

Isn't she wonderful?

@elisaa9981 Ай бұрын

I saw this painting at the National Gallery about 25 years ago. It was absolutely amazing!

@lucast3006 3 жыл бұрын

I’m not a big art person, but I sure do love this painting. I’m obsessed with it.

@YY-mk4ti 3 жыл бұрын

I originally was just here to find the Universal S thing but I ended up watching the whole video lol. Amazed how detailed this painting is and the handful of messages it could be trying to express.

@ecyranot 4 ай бұрын

What a beautiful, beautiful work of art. And a talk to match.

@liberty2308 2 жыл бұрын

More of these lectures please! Loving this from Korea!

@MicaRayan 2 жыл бұрын

That is a great history and art lesson. Thank you Lady ☕❤ I can listen hour and hours to her curation

@Eudaimonia88 4 жыл бұрын

An amazing lecture by a fascinating and erudite individual. Susan Foister is simply magnificent, much like the painting on which she is lecturing. Thank you.

@dereksmith2219 4 жыл бұрын

A very comprehensive discourse presented in great detail. I have viewed this picture many times but found much much more to see and understand with Susan Foister's help. Thank you Susan very much.

@billthon1099 2 жыл бұрын

We are hooked and watching all of these fantastic lectures. Cant wait to get back to the gallery and re visit all these masterpieces. Wonderful information and knowledgeable lecturers.

@zarabwz 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant presentation by Susan Foster! Excited to see the painting tomorrow! THANK YOU FOR THESE VIDEOS!

@heterodoxx5300 5 ай бұрын

Wow she delivers an excellent presentation of a marvelous piece of art. Thank you for publishing it. Very inspiring!

@lisefleury 4 жыл бұрын

In this time of confinement, what a wonderful gift to be able to travel to Europe and view these masterpieces up close and travel around with their provenance. Merci!

@florenceshen1555 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent and enlightening discourse. Thank you so much!

@adamkhan9899 3 жыл бұрын

Watching this in front of the painting itself in room 2 at the gallery is such a joy

@pilarantelo9555 8 ай бұрын

Wonderful lecture ! The subject, the pace, the clarity. Many thanks!

@christopherheinig5590 3 жыл бұрын

Incredible lecture and having seen this masterpiece I stood in front of for an hour in awe !everyone should see this marvellous presentation . Thank you National Gallery !

@shoelessjojaxon 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely fascinating! Such an illuminating lecture. Thank you so much for sharing this.

@VesnaGamulin 2 жыл бұрын

Can't wait to go back to London and the National Gallery to admire all those valuable art collections. Thank you once again Dr. Foister.

@maikogarou8927 4 жыл бұрын

Mrs Susan Foister is exceptional at presenting a deep and curious dissertation of Art. I am off now to search for other presentations from her.

@krystynalong1935 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, the gallery talks have given the general public an opening into the art world.

@camspks 2 жыл бұрын

Best thing I've watched in s long, long time! 👍👍👍👍👍

@Orwic1 2 жыл бұрын

These lectures are superb - they are invaluable learning resources. Although I have visited the gallery many times, having the lectures available online enhances the value I get from looking at the paintings in the gallery itself. Coincidentally, I was asked recently what my ‘favourite’ paintings were. I had a long list, but this was one of them!

@WhereIsMyLipstick 6 жыл бұрын

I love these talks!

@MrAlfredWennberg 5 жыл бұрын

What a stunning painting and such a carefully planned one as well. For such an early creation date it really is superior to most other paintings of that time that still looked very medieval and lacking in detail. It is also fascinating how these scientific instruments were so simple compared to our digital ones and still so advanced mathematically and astronomically at the same time.

@nenechonlisboa4127 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so so much Mrs Foister! I love your presentation: clear, instructive and enthralling!

@eleanorgrene2613 Жыл бұрын

An excellent lecture that conveys both learning and enthusiasm. Thank you

@beverlyfletcher4458 4 жыл бұрын

What a marvellous exposition. I never knew who they were and we are so fortunate to have this masterpiece. Thank you.

@bighoss1031 Жыл бұрын

Very enlightening fascinated with thev inclusion of the skull.

@MindandQiR1 4 жыл бұрын

What an amazing, extraordinary painting! Thanks for this great lecture.

@MrPete1x 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent. Thank you for showing this

@hunkhk 2 жыл бұрын

Such wonderful story telling - Susan Foister is a masterpiece her self, fascinating. Thank you

@deedeequast9148 4 жыл бұрын

Astounding, elusive work of art. Thank you, Dr. Foister, for an excellent and informative discourse.

@annelizeeloff6616 2 жыл бұрын

So interesting, my daughter showed me this painting. She is studying Fine Arts at the University of the Free State, this has inspired me to do some research on art history and I love it.

@MrPengsan1 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this informative video... wonderful lecture, it's as though I were standing in front of The Ambassadors (which I last saw in 2017!) Susah Foister's voice is authoritative and soothing at the same time.

@user-of2su2wv9f 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for your videos. For helping see these paintings and drawings, to understand how paint is placed on wood and canvas and could look like that. Marvelous.

@barbarajohnson1442 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, wonderful presentation.

@weRarmy_weRBL 4 жыл бұрын

Truly enjoyed this one... full of knowledge and information. Great work by the curator and the National Gallery

@bawbtherevelator6445 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Ms. Foister! I'm 82, in LA and odds are I'll NEVER get to D.C.. OTOH, your talk and the Gallery's tech staff brings Holbein's painting and the entire world of 16th c. Europe alive. I never knew that Henry VIII's seizure of the English monasteries was the greatest wealth transfer in history until to 2009 Great Recession and property foreclosure on 5 [five] million U.S. homeowners. Bringing facts like that together keeps me "young" and interested in the world. Thanks again.

@danthiel8623 4 жыл бұрын

The tromp l’oeil is outstanding and really interesting

@simongardiner949 3 жыл бұрын

We are only enabled to see this outstanding 'trompe l'oeil' thanks to the major restoration carried out in the 1990s.

@christianfrommuslim 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent presentation and insights. I do appreciate that Susan was not afraid to state the contrast between the certainty of death and the hope of Christians. It is merely reflective of the belief, but commentators are usually ignorant of or afraid to represent it clearly.

@jpatrickus 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely riveting. I so enjoyed this sitting. Thank you.

@fainatselnik267 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely jealous - gorgeous presentation and as usual all citations are immaculate. In love and lust for true ‘gold’ of centuries of beauty and brilliance. Also the presenters are fantastic - it full of joy and light.

@victorcorostola950 4 жыл бұрын

Excelent presentation Susan! Thank you very much!

@markwardel6751 4 жыл бұрын

great talk, interesting and informative. Susan Foister is a wonderful and engaging speaker.

@pedrorondotradio5407 5 жыл бұрын

It is a wonderful description on Holbein beautiful paintings.

@sacredkinetics.lns.8352 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful explanation. Thanks so much. 🌹

@adhoc9647 Жыл бұрын

What a polished public speaker (and presentation)!

@DavidHauka 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful! Thank you, Susan Foister!

@nuanced8225 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for doing these National Gallery lectures.

@oswaldodominguez5337 3 жыл бұрын

Extraordinary, really enjoyed this presentation. Susan Foister truly magnificent.

@user-cu6ic3vg2m 2 жыл бұрын

This lady is an excellent narrator, she gave so much details of Art itself and historical background for me to view this piece of Art！ And her english speaking is so elegant and precise, hopefully I can listen from her again！

@Richard_of_the_Desert 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant! Thank you Susan Foster!

@threethrushes 4 жыл бұрын

Time travel exists: for almost 40 minutes, we were transported almost 500 years ago in time. We learnt a little about European mores, culture, art, mathematics, science, religious views - and philosophy. Some 300 years after Holbein painted Ambassadors, another artist - a poet - would challenge our view of the world asking us to 'Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.' I remain humbled by my gaping lacunae of art history knowledge, and I am grateful to Susan. Hinc lucem at pocula sacra.

@seltonk5136 4 жыл бұрын

Burp

@cliffdariff74 4 жыл бұрын

Well as an American, of course I have to ask... Who is that poet you referenced ??

@SignorSprezzatura Жыл бұрын

@@cliffdariff74 Shelly, Ozymandis

@jacobcdefg 2 жыл бұрын

She's a fantastic lecturer

@mycardboardcutoutuk 4 жыл бұрын

Incredible artistry and amazing talk.

@shawncharton9416 5 жыл бұрын

This was lovely. Thank you.

@milsub59 Жыл бұрын

Masterpiece is overworked these days. What a wonderful presentation of and incredible double portrait.

@ritabandyopadhyay8823 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely amazing.

@user-nk9fm5fi1i 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this brilliant lecture!

@barni42 9 ай бұрын

A very good lecture, very interesting. I’ve always found this painting fascinating, a Pandora’s box of meanings. There are so many juxtapositions in this painting, religion and politics, earth and the ephemeral, science and the arts. I’ve often pondered over the concept of the skull in the foreground as showing us not only our mortality, as addressed so well in this lecture, but maybe also the spiritual, beyond our knowing or knowledge. Who knows. Amazing painting anyway.

@MrMrremmington 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful. What a fascinating painting. Thoroughly enjoyed the presentation.

@S_-- 4 жыл бұрын

It has the exact style of writing an infinity symbol as the S we used to write at school on the red cloth thats on the table

@voraciousreader3341 Жыл бұрын

Without notes. Amazing! I so enjoyed this!

@mickgreer2146 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent. Thank you.

@mariellouise1 4 жыл бұрын

Painted in turbulent times, the painting seems to represent an awareness of a rift between Science and Faith; between the secular world and the religious.

@Italblessings 2 жыл бұрын

Stunning!! Thank you for this.

@elventful6592 2 жыл бұрын

This is the most interesting and informative lecture. It brings alive the picture when you see it. Fabulous

@budjitresvalles6397 5 жыл бұрын

Very informative and engaging! Thanks!

@Zippy15 2 жыл бұрын

I watched this for over half an hour before seeing the skull. I immediately gasped! What a unique piece of historical art.

@Oturtlegirl51 2 жыл бұрын

That was absolutely fantastic.

@thiagodalboni8541 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely amazing lecture

@cerwelt 7 ай бұрын

Amazing painting. Excellent presentation.

@inessamaria2428 5 жыл бұрын

Amazing information. Great work in sharing it

@kimclarke5018 4 жыл бұрын

Fascinating lecture. Well worth watching.

@theurbandebris 2 жыл бұрын

Very informative. Amazing explanations and discovering anew about this oeuvre even I’ve read about this on so many art history books. Or maybe I’ve been refreshed again? Awesome art talk! Kudos!

@lazc.2034 4 жыл бұрын

Very well-spoken, engaging speaker!

@axlathi 2 жыл бұрын

What a fascinating talk! Thank you!

@aaronkimberley2008 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful lecture. Thank you

@andrzejmaranda3699 Жыл бұрын

The National Gallery: GREAT PRESENTATION!

@MamaByNature 2 жыл бұрын

I wish I was able to obtain one of his paintings. I have commented on another video but I am a descendant of Hans Holbein. This is so amazing ❤️

@TesterAnimal1 2 ай бұрын

You and several million others.

@VesnaGamulin 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic, marvellous explanation thank you very much, (it is one of my favourite paintings when visiting the National Gallery.

@cliffdariff74 4 жыл бұрын

This woman is marvelous.... no podium, no notes. She knows her art techniques, art history and artists. Damn, can we see the tapestry, the threads look like pixels! I do think the warped skull just doesn’t belong...it’s not hidden. It’s difficult to believe Holbein did not leave written notes about this??