Something for the weekend

The Ambassadors’ at The National Gallery

Founded in 1824 to display a collection of just 36 paintings, today the National Gallery is home to more than 2,000 works. German painter Hans Holbein became one of the most celebrated portraitists of his era. Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve, bishop of Lavaur feature in Holbein’s 1533 painting, but are upstaged by the warped skull in the foreground.

The ‘anamorphic’ technique Holbein used means that to see it as a cranium, and not a sinister blur, you have to position yourself to the right of the painting and crouch. Helpfully, thousands of skull-seekers over the years have worn a mark on the floor in the correct spot.

Admission is free, so head over this weekend – visit the website for more information www.nationalgallery.org.uk