Portraits of Human Monsters in the Renaissance: Dwarves, Hirsutes, and Castrati as Idealized Anatomical Anomalies [Hardcover]

At the center of this interdisciplinary study are court monsters--dwarves, hirsutes, and misshapen individuals--who, by their very presence, altered Renaissance ethics vis-a-vis anatomical difference, social virtues, and scientific knowledge. The study traces how these monsters evolved from objects of curiosity, to scientific cases, to legally independent beings. The works examined here point to the intricate cultural, religious, ethical, and scientific perceptions of monstrous individuals who were fixtures in contemporary courts. This lively and engaging study not only reveals and reconceptualizes portraits of human 'monsters,' but also, in so doing, rewrites the history of Renaissance portraiture. Ghadessi uses images of known, famous 'human monsters' - a dwarf, a hirsute woman, and a castrato - to highlight normative portraiture constructs, but also to reinvest their subjects with vibrant, vital humanity. Asa Mittman, California State University, Chico