ABSTRACT
The nose, the central and most prominent part of the human face, determines the beauty of a person to a great extent. Its size, shape and appearance have excited the imagination of poets and writers over many centuries. Even in ancient civilizations, much attention was drawn to the form and aspect
of the nose. In biblical times, the Old Testament forbade those who had an ugly nose to sacrifice to God (Leviticus, XXI, 18).1 The proportion of the nose with respect to the face was the leitmotif of the Renaissance from Leonardo da Vinci to Luca Pacioli,2 Albrecht Dürer,3 and many other painters (Figs 9.1 and 9.2). Starting with the Neapolitan physician G Battista della Porta (1536-1615), who associated the profile of the human face with those of animals, physiognomists extensively wrote, from the 17th through the 19th century, about the relationship existing between the nose and character traits.4 According to della Porta, a hump nose gives the face a bird-like appearance similar to a raven and the person could be easily associated with a thief. A bulbous pug nose evokes a bull and the character of the individual reflects that of this animal, extremely lazy (Fig. 9.3). A short nose that turns upwards gives the face a pig-like appearance, and the character is synonymous with brutality.
