An artists optical illusion?

[Garmard]

I'm going to pick all you AB'er's brains with this one.......Who was the artist that cleverly painted in a stretched out skull completely random onto a dark themed canvas? Only if you look at the painting at certain angles does it become apparent that a skull has been added to the painting.
This painting with visual trickery is very old, maybe 17th/18th century?
Can anyone tell me who this imaginative work was attributed to?

[shaneystar2]

Possibly ,The Ambassadors by Holbein

[scotman]

Agree with Shaney and I don't get the 'dark themed' reference in the question.

[bibblebub]

http://perso.limsi.fr...lbein-ambassadors.jpg

[saxy_jag]

I would agree - more a status symbol. I think the skull is to remind us that no matter how much we have, we are still mortal. It was painted in this way because, allegedly, the painting was intended to be hung on a staircase wall.

http://en.wikipedia.o...ssadors_%28Holbein%29

[another-view]

But that totally spoils the picture. It doesn't even blend in with the picture.

[Mosaic]

You also find a couple of lesser-known works that show distorted portraits of the Pretender, James Stuart, that you can only see for example when the design is placed flat on a table and a polished cylinder is placed in the centre. The same principle is displayed in some sculptures outside the science and industry museum in Manchester.

[Garmard]

Thankyou all!