lunar-danse: ‘Centifrons Idolum Iani Hoc est: Metoposcopia Seu Prosopomantia’ by Johannes Praetorius, 1661Metoposcopy is a pseudo-science that was developed in the 16th century by the Italian Renaissance mathematician, Gerolamo Cardano.  An individual’s specific pattern of forehead wrinkles was used to analyse their character and, when combined with astrological interpretations, helped a clairvoyant make predictions about the person’s destiny. There are apparently a number of works devoted to the subject from the 17th century and this sort of foolish personality and divination technique is related, to an extent, to the 18th and 19th century obsessions of physiognomy and phrenology.

lunar-danse:

‘Centifrons Idolum Iani Hoc est: Metoposcopia Seu Prosopomantia’ by Johannes Praetorius, 1661

Metoposcopy is a pseudo-science that was developed in the 16th century by the Italian Renaissance mathematician, Gerolamo Cardano.  An individual’s specific pattern of forehead wrinkles was used to analyse their character and, when combined with astrological interpretations, helped a clairvoyant make predictions about the person’s destiny. There are apparently a number of works devoted to the subject from the 17th century and this sort of foolish personality and divination technique is related, to an extent, to the 18th and 19th century obsessions of physiognomy and phrenology.