Sketch for ‘Treatise on Zodiacal Physiognomy’ 1828

Editor: This is John Varley's Sketch for ‘Treatise on Zodiacal Physiognomy’, currently residing in the Tate Collections. It's quite spare, almost clinical in its depiction of these three faces. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The profiles evoke a sense of classical portraiture, a cultural memory of how we’ve historically defined character through visual cues. Zodiacal Physiognomy was based on the belief that one's face reflected their astrological sign. Editor: So, these faces were meant to represent specific signs? Curator: Potentially. Note the central figure's more defined features, suggesting perhaps a more prominent or 'masculine' sign. Do you see how the flanking figures seem almost idealized, more ethereal? Editor: Yes, almost like archetypes. I hadn't considered the symbolic weight of simply choosing profile views. Curator: Precisely. Varley uses the profile not just as a likeness, but as a symbolic landscape of inherent traits. Editor: That really enriches my understanding of this seemingly simple sketch! Curator: Indeed, a potent reminder of how imagery and physiognomy are culturally intertwined.