Phrenology skull France, mid-19th century. Natural... Lot 12

Phrenology skull France, mid-19th century. Natural bone and India ink, on modern base. D. 13.5 x 19 x 13 cm Remarkable specimen of a phrenological skull, testifying to the various systems developed during the 19th century in France by this discipline then presented as medical. The theory was founded in Vienna at the end of the 18th century by the German physician Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). This pseudo-science, called cranioscopy by its originator, claimed to establish the psychological profile of individuals by palpating the surface of the skull for protuberant areas or bumps. This calvarium skull is adorned with a handwritten map carefully traced in Indian ink: some sixty zones delimited by a curvilinear line, with dotted words associated with numbers, cover the entire cranial vault. This mapping of the brain corresponds to the system established by Gall and enlarged by physician François Broussais in the 1840s, with 38 compartments corresponding to "feelings" and "inclinations" such as kindness (no. 24), self-esteem (no. 10), or dreaming (no. 29), placed here above the right arch. This skull also bears, on its large left wing, the mark of the system established by Gall's pupil and collaborator, Dr. Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (1766-1832). His system can be identified by compound words with the suffix "ité", such as aggressiveness, combativeness and approbativeness (or the desire to please), an inclination that seems more present on female skulls. This skull, with its beautiful patina and delicate, sometimes faded lettering, shows weaknesses consolidated by adhesives on the inside. Provenance Jean Roudillon Collection References Spurzheim, Observation sur la phrénologie : ouvrage précédé du Manuel de phrénologie publié par l'auteur, Paris, 1818. | Broussais, Cours de phrénologie, Paris, Baillière, 1836. | L'âme au corps : arts et sciences, 1793-1993. Paris, RMN Grand Palais, 2002, pp. 255 ff. | A phrenological calvarium skull is kept at the Musée Crozatier, inventory no. 890.189.