Occult Literature
Neapolitan Hand Gestures: Silence, Hunger and Mockery
Ten heads accompany deliberately posed hands: a finger touches the lips, a hand supports the chin, fingers point towards a cheek and another hand makes a mocking long nose. Elworthy reproduces the figures from Jorio’s study of Neapolitan gesture and explains Figure 120 on page 276. The numbered meanings include silence, denial, beauty, hunger, mockery, fatigue and cunning. This is a vocabulary of gestures rather than an anonymous study of facial expression.
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Citation
Jorio (source illustrations); reproducer unidentified. "Neapolitan Hand Gestures: Silence, Hunger and Mockery" [editorial title]. In The Evil Eye, Frederick Thomas Elworthy. London: John Murray, 1895; Wellcome Collection scan, 1895, J. Murray. Source scan leaf 297. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/gallery-20261108-0049-0286
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Descriptive title supplied for the visually reviewed historical illustration. The surrounding book presents the original author's interpretation.
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From the book
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Cite this illustration
Jorio (source illustrations); reproducer unidentified. Neapolitan Hand Gestures: Silence, Hunger and Mockery. The Evil Eye. Scan leaf 297. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/gallery-20261108-0049-0286