The Ambassadors
Hans Holbein the Younger
A double portrait with a skull that emerges from an oblique view.
Illusions in painting / 1695
A Letter Rack
News, letters, and writing equipment seem pinned to a wooden board.
TRY THIS
Inspect a paper’s curling corner and the writing tools that seem to project forward.
FOLLOW THE SOURCES
History, evidence & image credit
THE IMAGE IN THIS ARCHIVE
Evert Collier
Original file & attribution · CC0
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Download imageFrequently asked questions
What is A Letter Rack?
News, letters, and writing equipment seem pinned to a wooden board.
What should I look for in A Letter Rack?
Inspect a paper’s curling corner and the writing tools that seem to project forward.
What explains A Letter Rack?
Overlapping sheets, realistic writing, painted wood, and cast shadows minimize the apparent distance between the represented scene and the viewer.
Another way to see it
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Vertumnus
Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Rudolf II appears as a face assembled from fruit, flowers, and vegetables.
The Reverse of a Framed Painting
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts
The front of a painting pretends to be its back.