The Ambassadors
Hans Holbein the Younger
A double portrait with a skull that emerges from an oblique view.
Illusions in painting / c. 1655–1660
A Peepshow with Views of a Dutch House
Painted surfaces inside a box become a convincing domestic interior.
TRY THIS
Examine where the real box surfaces meet, and follow the museum link for views through the peepholes.
THE IMAGE IN THIS ARCHIVE
Painting by Samuel van Hoogstraten, photograph by The Nation Gallery London
Original file & attribution · Public domain
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What is A Peepshow with Views of a Dutch House?
Painted surfaces inside a box become a convincing domestic interior.
What should I look for in A Peepshow with Views of a Dutch House?
Examine where the real box surfaces meet, and follow the museum link for views through the peepholes.
What explains A Peepshow with Views of a Dutch House?
Anamorphic painting compensates for the viewer’s fixed position. The illusion belongs to the three-dimensional box; a photograph documents it but cannot reproduce every viewing relationship.
Another way to see it
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