Jean de Dinterville Skull Illusion

Jean de Dinterville was a French nobleman who came to England as an ambassador in the 1530. He was one of the two people shown in a famous painting by Holbein – he is the figure on the left. This picture is famous partly for the strange object at the bottom of the picture – it is actually an anamorphic image of a skull, but you have to look almost from the edge of the canvas for this to become apparent. The skull can be seen as a reminder that we are mortal, and that life is fleeting. Am not sure if it works, gonna try it now! I would appreciate you guys comment this one, so we can discuss the effect. Basically this should work in a way 3D Sidewalk Chalk Drawings 1, 2, 3, 4 and Wonderfull Murals 1, 2 work.



24 Replies to “Jean de Dinterville Skull Illusion”

  1. yes it works, i saw this picture years ago in blackpool pleasure beach,
    im sick of this picture though, i had to copy it during my art lessons

  2. that same skull is on the fron os Green Day’s Insomniac CD cover/book when it is fully opened!!!!

  3. If you cross your eyes, and focus on their eyes you se a new man and face, your head has to be at such a level so as that there eyes meet perfectly horizontal

  4. I saw the skull when I first looked at it, but I can’t look at it at the right angle to see the full skull.

  5. Yeah you really do have to be almost horizontal with the canvas.

    The artist painted this with the intention of hanging it on the wall of the stairs. So as you walked down the stairs and glanced at the painting you saw the skull, a fleeting image of death, ironic contrast with the ‘fleeting image’ of life.

  6. I saw this painting at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Sq, London. The skull appears very 3-d and huge when you look from the bottom corner (but the museum guards don’t let you get too close). Pretty impossible to appreciate on this small-screen version.

  7. that is kinda cool, only i couldnt see the skull totally because i have a flat screen and it turns funny colors on when i go to far to the side, but i still can see what it would look like thats cool

  8. is it the thing on the ground? and if it is i still cnt see it cus i hav a laptop and when u look at it from the side the screen always goes kind of negative…

  9. i had to do this in art a few years ago, now its not so amazing but when it was drawn ages ago it must have been very good

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