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Drawing for a plate facing p.113, vol.II.i., of the first English version of J. C. Lavater's 'Essays on Physiognomy' translated Henry Hunter, London, 1789–1798. In applying the study of physiognomy to the animal world, Lavater asserts a ‘proportional difference of force and form... From the insect invisible to the naked eye, up to the elephant, is not the gradation of internal and external character perpetually in exact relation?’ Lavater comments on the expression by the creatures' physiognomies of characteristics of lasciviousness, stupidity, and timorous gluttony.
Title
Heads of Hares, a Goat, a Boar, and an Ass
Date
c.1789
Medium
pencil on paper (?)
Measurements
H 17.8 x W 13.7 cm
Accession number
29142i
Acquisition method
presumed to be part of the collection formed by Henry S. Wellcome
Work type
Drawing