Neurological disorder? No, Mannerism
2019; Elsevier BV; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s1474-4422(18)30447-2
ISSN1474-4465
AutoresPhilippe Charlier, Donatella Lippi, Antonio Perciaccante, Otto Appenzeller, Raffaella Bianucci,
Tópico(s)Hereditary Neurological Disorders
ResumoWe read with great interest the Correspondence1Vein AA Mouret A Claw hand in a Renaissance portrait.Lancet Neurology. 2018; 17: 742Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar by Alla A Vein and Alexander Mouret about the Renaissance painter, Agnolo Bronzino (1503–72), depicting a claw hand in the portrait of a 16th century notable. The history of art shows that similar pictorial representations are associated with Mannerism, a new artistic style that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance (around 1520). In Italy, Mannerism lasted until about the end of the 16th century and Agnolo Bronzino was one of its most eminent representants. Northern Mannerism in Europe, especially in Flanders, continued into the early 17th century. Mannerism broke all previous codes of anatomical accuracy, proportion, balance, and ideal beauty—all canons that had characterised the High Renaissance. Hence, human figures were often depicted in asymmetrical positions with elongated proportions (eg, in Madonna with Long Neck, 1534–40, by Parmigianino) or in unnatural body positions (eg, in Noli me tangere, 1561, by Agnolo Bronzino). A brief examination of the hands painted in more than a dozen of Bronzino's paintings (figure) shows that the painter always depicted the hands in the same way, with an excessive spacing of the fingers and the folding of two or three fingers.2Falciani C, Natali A. Bronzino Pittore e Poeta alla Corte dei Medici, Firenze: Madragora, 2010.Google Scholar, 3Weisz GM Albury WR Lippi D Matucci-Cerinic M Right or left hand: is this the real problem of Pontormo's Halberdier?.Rheumatol Int. 2013; 33: 2177-2217Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar So, is this an epidemic of neurological disorders? No, only Mannerism. These representations reveal the artist's endeavor to show the grace of the subjects he depicted, highlighting that they belonged to the aristocracy. It is, therefore, important that iconodiagnosis is made by putting the paintings or other works of art in their proper artistic context, thus, reducing the risk of erroneous diagnoses and over-intepretation of pathological conditions.4Karenberg A Retrospective diagnosis: use and abuse in medical historiography.Prague Med Rep. 2009; 110: 140-145PubMed Google Scholar We declare no competing interests. Claw hand in a Renaissance portraitAgnolo Bronzino (Florence, Italy, 1503 – 72 ) was one of the best portraitists of the 16th century. We believe that his portrait of Bartolomeo Panciatichi would be of particular interest for neurologists. Full-Text PDF
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