Hans Holbein, a German, was on his second visit to England in 1533 to paint a picture named "The Ambassadors".
The French Ambassador, Jean de Dinteville and his friend Georges de Selve, two wealthy and well educated men were posing by a large cabinet, filled with things only sophisticated and wealthy men would have. Both men were wearing flamboyant clothes, Jean's coat was lined with lynx fur and he had a dagger on a belt. They were both wearing black, an expensive dye.

Jean was confidently standing, relaxed, as though he had done that sort of thing thousands of times. Georges was standing, modestly, uncomfortably, waiting for the painting to be done.

They were both leaning on a shelf full of things that only rich had. Objects for measuring time and the heavens. On the lower shelf was interests for normal rich people, instruments.

Georges needed to stretch his legs so he excused himself and walked around the carefully tiled mosaic floor. Looking at the painting, he pointed to a large, distorted object painted in the middle of the floor.
"What's that?" he questioned Holbein, "Why have you painted a thingymajig in the middle of the painting? All my time posing and you produce, THIS?"
Jean rushed over, breaking a lute string on the way.
"What is it?" he spoke, "It looks like a large feather!"
"It's a skull." Holbein answered. "It represents death. I distorted it to make it more interesting. Now, please go back so I can finish."
Jean and Georges went back to their original positions and Holbein finished the picture. He carefully applied the last brush strokes and then presented it to the two men.
"I like it." they both chorused.

Now, 479 years later, the work of art is displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in London. No one really knows why the skull was painted.

The mystery remains...