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A brief exploration of neurological art history.
J Hist Neurosci. 2004 Dec; 13(4):345-50.JH

Abstract

The invention of realistic portraiture to reveal "inner life" is attributed by some art historians to Jan van Eyck who worked in Flanders from 1420 onwards. We show, using clinical neurological examination of the gold mask of Agamemnon dating from 1550-1500 BC and of the portraits of Henry III and his son Edward I -- important English royals -- painted between 1216 and 1307, that realistic portraits were made well before the 15th Century. Thus artists unwittingly used neurology as part of their realistic approach to the presentation of the face. Because neurological diagnosis is often visual, neurology, in turn, has a rich potential to unveil examples of realism in art. We consider the art pieces examined here also pertinent to art historians, as they assess the role of art in documenting history.

Authors+Show Affiliations

Appenzeller O
NMHEMC Research Foundation, Albuquerque, NM 87122-1424, USA. ottoarun12@aol.com
Amm M
No affiliation info available
Jones H
No affiliation info available

MeSH

BlepharoptosisFacial ParalysisHistory, 15th CenturyHistory, 16th CenturyHistory, 19th CenturyHistory, AncientHistory, MedievalHumansMedicine in the ArtsNervous System DiseasesPortraits as Topic

Pub Type(s)

Historical Article
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Language

eng

PubMed ID

15545106

Citation

Appenzeller, Otto, et al. "A Brief Exploration of Neurological Art History." Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, vol. 13, no. 4, 2004, pp. 345-50.
Appenzeller O, Amm M, Jones H. A brief exploration of neurological art history. J Hist Neurosci. 2004;13(4):345-50.
Appenzeller, O., Amm, M., & Jones, H. (2004). A brief exploration of neurological art history. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 13(4), 345-50.
Appenzeller O, Amm M, Jones H. A Brief Exploration of Neurological Art History. J Hist Neurosci. 2004;13(4):345-50. PubMed PMID: 15545106.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - A brief exploration of neurological art history. AU - Appenzeller,Otto, AU - Amm,Marita, AU - Jones,Howard, PY - 2004/11/17/pubmed PY - 2005/3/2/medline PY - 2004/11/17/entrez SP - 345 EP - 50 JF - Journal of the history of the neurosciences JO - J Hist Neurosci VL - 13 IS - 4 N2 - The invention of realistic portraiture to reveal "inner life" is attributed by some art historians to Jan van Eyck who worked in Flanders from 1420 onwards. We show, using clinical neurological examination of the gold mask of Agamemnon dating from 1550-1500 BC and of the portraits of Henry III and his son Edward I -- important English royals -- painted between 1216 and 1307, that realistic portraits were made well before the 15th Century. Thus artists unwittingly used neurology as part of their realistic approach to the presentation of the face. Because neurological diagnosis is often visual, neurology, in turn, has a rich potential to unveil examples of realism in art. We consider the art pieces examined here also pertinent to art historians, as they assess the role of art in documenting history. SN - 0964-704X UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/15545106/A_brief_exploration_of_neurological_art_history_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -