Physiognomic Study of the Head of a Man and Two Lions c. 1822

Thomas Rowlandson made this watercolor drawing called, Physiognomic Study of the Head of a Man and Two Lions, in England during the late 1700s or early 1800s. The idea of physiognomy - judging character from physical appearance - enjoyed a vogue in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Here, Rowlandson explores physiognomy by showing a man in profile, his features exaggerated in a manner that reflects a mix of curiosity and mild disgust. The man's face is flanked by two lions, their expressions echoing and perhaps amplifying his own. Rowlandson, however, was also a satirist, and it’s difficult to know how seriously to take his exploration of physiognomy here. To understand the drawing better, we might look into the popular scientific and pseudoscientific literature of his time, and also consider his other satirical works. The meaning of art is always contingent on the social and institutional contexts in which it’s made.