Phrenology cast of face of Torquato Tasso, 1800-1835

Dublin Core

Title

Phrenology cast of face of Torquato Tasso, 1800-1835

Subject

Boston Phrenological Society
Phrenology
Casts
Face

Abstract

Plaster death mask cast of poet Torquato Tasso (1544-1595). Cast is likely molded from original death mask taken of Tasso in 1595. Cast shows face from forehead to chin and is seated on round pedestal base.

Creator

Unknown

Date Created

1800-1835

Rights

The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all the materials in the collection. For use information, contact the Warren Anatomical Museum Curator at chm@hms.harvard.edu

Access Rights

Accessing collections in the Warren Anatomical Museum and the Warren Anatomical Museum archive requires advanced notice. Please submit a request to Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu to access the displayed item

Is Part Of

Warren Anatomical Museum (WAM 03540)

Format

object

Extent

1 Cast

Medium

Castings (object genre)

Type

physical object

Identifier

WAM 03540

Provenance

This cast was likely created or acquired between 1800 and 1835 by by Dr. Johann Spurzheim (1776 – 1832) or the Boston Phrenological Society. Dr. Spurzheim, a leader in the study of phrenology, brought his knowledge and cast collection to America in 1832. After his death, the newly formed Boston Phrenological Society possessed his collection of skulls and casts. Dr. John Collins Warren purchased the collection in 1847 after the Society’s dissolution. In 1849, Dr. Warren took physical custody of the collection and temporarily transferred it to the Warren Museum of Natural History on Chestnut Street, before moving the collection to its intended permanent location in the new medical school building on North Grove Street. The phrenological collection was left in the basement of the old Medical School building on North Grove Street when the Medical College moved to a different building on Boylston Street in 1880. In 1911, the North Grove Street building was being demolished and the collection was almost destroyed. Dr. R. H. Fitz intervened and the collection was moved to the Administrative Building of the Harvard Medical School.

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

Phrenology cast

Files

03540_Pub.jpg

Citation

Unknown, “Phrenology cast of face of Torquato Tasso, 1800-1835,” OnView, accessed March 28, 2024, https://collections.countway.harvard.edu/onview/items/show/18093.