The Ambassadors (1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger



The skull in this painting (best seen standing to the right of it), hanging in the National Gallery in London is regarded as the most famous piece of anamorphic art, but the anamorphism is not immediately obvious and many people need to be told where to look to find it.



When the painting was first in the possession of the National Gallery, it took some years before anyone solved the puzzle of the "splodge" in the front of it, appearing to spoil an otherwise detailed painting.

Many sixteenth century European portraits include skulls as reminders of death



Copyright: The National Gallery, London

The skull in Holbein's painting becomes clear when viewed from the correct angle. Advertisement

Until a few years ago, if you went to Vauxhall Rail station in London, you would see a mixture of images by the artist William Pye.



This image doesn't make much sense, but the photographer of the next image was standing in the right place (see next image).

If you stood in the correct place, you could see the British Rail logo.



Sadly these images no longer exist - Network Rail whitewashed them all out a couple of years ago.

This 17th-century oil painting by a Spanish artist was painted with slats sticking out of the base. As you go past it, you see: Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis de Paul and then Saint Peter.



You can find this painting in the Wellcome Collection.

The Hungarian graphic designer and artist Istvan Orosz is one of the leading exponents of anamorphosis today.

This public sculpture of a cylindrical mirror anamorphosis with a mosaic image will be created in Kitchener, Ontario next year. It is a collaboration between the artist Allan MacKay and Professor James Hunt.

This artwork by Colin Wilbourn can be found in Sunderland, UK as an open air sculpture. You have to sit in the right place to see it correctly...

... as the person behind the camera here has done. When viewed correctly, it shows a door.

This cone mirror anamorphosis of the scientist John Dalton, by the architect Andrew Compton, can be seen outside the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, UK.