Just Another Vanitas at the Wellcome Collection
Just Another Vanitas by Andy McCafferty
If you have ever wanted to touch or hold Holbein’s skull in the palm of your hand, now you can!
You can now see my never-before-seen sculpture derived from the iconic skull in The Ambassadors, at the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road.
The sculpture is now on sale in the gift shop.
The artwork is the result of a project begun in 2017, following a conversation with Peter Crack while working at the National Gallery where the painting is hung.
Read on to find out more…
What inspired the artwork?
Just Another Vanitas is derived from Hans Holbein’s most famous and mysterious painting in the National Gallery, The Ambassadors, painted in 1533.
Most of the mystery is centred on the famous skull. If you look closely, you'll see a strange, squiggly shape on the floor. It doesn't really look like anything at first. But if you move and look at it from the side, something amazing happens: The squiggly shape suddenly transforms into a clear image of a skull!
→ Click here to see the skull in The Ambassadors
So why is Holbein’s skull so distorted?
It’s like a magic trick for your eyes; it can only be seen for a moment. But the skull is so big, it trumps all the other symbols of wealth and knowledge. It’s actually a clever way of reminding us that nothing lasts forever.
The skull is simply another vanity: Death too, is just an illusion, it means nothing in the end. But the painting gets even more sneaky, because hidden behind the curtain is a small crucifix, suggesting all that really matters is the possibility of eternal life.
How does the distortion work?
Holbein used a special technique called anamorphosis to make the skull look distorted from one angle, but normal from another. The aim is to defy our senses and encourage new ways of looking.
For example, the distorted circle viewed from an exact angle is ’corrected’.
It's a pretty cool way to sneak a serious message into a beautiful painting, don't you think?
How was Just Another Vanitas made?
Starting as a 3D scan of a real skull, this artwork was carefully sculpted and transformed in 3D CAD software using the 2D Ambassadors skull as a reference. The design is then 3D printed, resulting in a never-before-seen anamorphic sculpture allowing the viewer to animate the distortion in three dimensions as they adapt their position to ‘correct’ the skull.
Head down to the Wellcome Collection and give it a try!
Tip: Close one eye and view from the upper right and lower left. Also, see if you can match the images above.
What material is it made from?
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D printing uses a laser to fuse layers of nylon (a type of plastic) powder into a solid object. SLS nylon is certified as medical, skin and food-safe, and has great resistance to water, chemicals and the elements. 3D printing also reduces the environmental impact of manufacturing by lowering waste, energy usage, and need for space compared to traditional factory processes.
How does 3D printing compare to traditional sculpture?
Michelangelo (1475 - 1564) was an Italian sculptor who lived and worked during the same golden age of art as Holbein. Remarkably, both his methods and modern SLS printing may share a similar creative process!
Michelangelo carved marble or chiselled stone: Imagine you want to build a sandcastle but instead of sand, he used stone. He'd have a picture in his head or make a small model. Instead of starting with tiny grains of sand, he'd find a big block of stone. With special tools, he'd slowly chip away, shaping it into the figure he envisioned. It was like carefully removing sand from your sandcastle to make it look just right. Once complete, he'd smooth and polish the stone.
SLS 3D Printing is a digital building process that uses a laser to fuse powdered material to create a 3D object: Imagine a machine that can build things layer by layer, like stacking tiny pancakes. Instead of a physical model, we have a digital file on a computer, like a blueprint for a house.
The machine uses a special powder, like very fine sand. A laser beam scans the powder layer by layer, fusing it into the shape from the digital file. The machine keeps adding layers of powder, building up the object, just like stacking those pancakes! The final stage too, involves polishing the sculpture in a vibratory machine.
This technology allows for complex designs that would be impossible to achieve through traditional sculpting methods.
How are Michelangelo’s methods similar to 3D printing?
Michelangelo probably experimented with many techniques. He may have used a small wax model that the sculpture was based on, which was then sunken in a basin of water. He would then get a cup and remove water bit by bit (or layer by layer) and look at what was revealed after removing water, then use this as a reference to see what he needed to chisel. As the water level lowers, it mimics the artist working down the block.
The slow removal of water is like to the slow addition of powdered layers in SLS!
Isn’t it amazing how both methods are similar!? This example demonstrates how some basic principles and techniques continue to be relevant and valuable in today's world.
Did you know? Michelangelo believed that the sculpture was already present within the marble, and his task was to "liberate" it. In SLS, it is the laser that “liberates” the model present in the digital file!
Would you like to learn more?
Inspired by the strange object that appears to float between Holbein’s portraits of Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve, this figurine is your very own piece of contemporary art.
The perfect ornament for the home or an original gift for a loved one, give them something never-before-seen, to treasure for years to come.
It comes complete with display stand and base card, information booklet outlining creative and production processes alongside contextual art history writing by a qualified contributor, and original designs inspired by The Ambassadors.
The floor in The Ambassadors inspired the pattern designs in the booklet.
Did you know? Holbein based the floor on the Cosmati pavement in Westminster Abbey.
The display stand base card is a fractal design referring to the Cosmati pavement’s onyx (gemstone) disc centre. Fractals show us how patterns can repeat themselves endlessly - you can find fractals all around you, even in nature! The disc is thought to represent the centre of the universe, the divine and eternal.