The Northern Renaissance refers to the artistic movement that took place in the Northern Alps, outside of Italy and Spain, during this period local artists were influenced by the Italian Renaissance but they developed a particular style by mixing the Italian techniques with their own ones. When Hans Holbein the Younger painted "The Ambassadors" he was located in England, while Henry VIII ruled over the country. In England it was common to use a style known as Anamorphosis , where the artist paints a distorted object that can only be seen with the help of special artifacts, like mirrors. Holbein is nowadays recognized as one of the best portraitists of the 16th century because he blended techniques from the Italian Renaissance with his own artistic style, an example in this painting is the distorted human skull painted by the artist.