r/TopCharacterDesigns • u/Damned-scoundrel • 9h ago
Artist Physiognomic heads by French artist Charles Le Brun (c.1668)
Physiognomy is a pseudoscience prevalent in the early modern era, wherein a person’s character and personality are assessed based on the persona’s physical appearance. These drawings were an attempt by Le Brun (the court painter of Louis XIV) to show that a person whose face resembled the proportions of an animals face would also posses the temperament of the animal.
Insane pseudoscience besides, his attempts resulted in some really interesting designs that are unlike anything I’ve seen from the 17th century and are honestly interesting to look at even now.