Johann Kaspar (or Caspar) Lavater (; 15 November 1741 – 2 January 1801) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

, writer, philosopher,

physiognomist Physiognomy (from the Greek , , meaning "nature", and , meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general ...

and theologian.

Early life

Lavater was born in

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...

, and was educated at the '' Gymnasium'' there, where J. J. Bodmer and J. J. Breitinger were amongst his teachers.

Corruption fighter

At barely twenty-one years of age, Lavater greatly distinguished himself by denouncing, in conjunction with his friend

Henry Fuseli Henry Fuseli ( ; German: Johann Heinrich Füssli ; 7 February 1741 – 17 April 1825) was a Swiss painter, draughtsman and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his works, such as ''The Nightmare'', deal with supernatur ...

the painter, an iniquitous magistrate, who was compelled to make restitution of his ill-gotten gains.

Zwinglian

In 1769 Lavater took Holy Orders in Zurich's Zwinglian Church, and officiated until his death as

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

in churches in his native city. His oratorical fervor and genuine depth of conviction gave him great personal influence; he was extensively consulted as a casuist, and was welcomed with enthusiasm on his journeys throughout Germany. His writings on mysticism were widely popular as well. In the same year (1769), Lavater tried to convert

Moses Mendelssohn Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian. His writings and ideas on Jews and the Jewish religion and identity were a central element in the development of the '' Haskalah'', or ...

to Christianity, by sending him a translation of

Charles Bonnet Charles Bonnet (; 13 March 1720 – 20 May 1793) was a Genevan naturalist and philosophical writer. He is responsible for coining the term ''phyllotaxis'' to describe the arrangement of leaves on a plant. He was among the first to notice parth ...

's ''Palingénésie philosophique'', and demanding that he either publicly refute Bonnet's arguments or convert. Mendelssohn refused to do either, and many prominent intellectuals took Mendelssohn's side, including Lichtenberg and

Herder A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazi ...

Physiognomy

Lavater is most well known for his work in the field of

physiognomy Physiognomy (from the Greek , , meaning "nature", and , meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the genera ...

, ''Physiognomische Fragmente zur Beförderung der Menschenkenntnis und Menschenliebe'', published between 1775 and 1778. He introduced the idea that physiognomy related to the specific character traits of individuals, rather than general types. Lavater is attributed with catalysing a golden age for silhouettes through this work in

. According to him, the character of a person could be elucidated through examining their “lines of countenance”. The most accurate of readings were facilitated by the tracing of a profile outline portrait. This contour line could be filled with black or cut from the white paper and placed over a black backing. More often, the silhouette was simply cut from black paper. In the chapter “On Shades”, Lavater wrote, “What can less the image of a living man be than a shade? Yet how full of speech! Little gold, but the purest." The fame of this book, which found admirers in France and England as well as Germany, rests largely upon the handsome style of publication and the accompanying illustrations. The two principal sources from which Lavater developed his physiognomical studies were the writings of the Italian

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

Giambattista della Porta Giambattista della Porta (; 1535 – 4 February 1615), also known as Giovanni Battista Della Porta, was an Italian scholar, polymath and playwright who lived in Naples at the time of the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution and Reformation. Giamb ...

, and the observations made by Sir

Thomas Browne Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 160519 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curi ...

in his ''

Religio Medici ''Religio Medici'' (''The Religion of a Doctor'') by Sir Thomas Browne is a spiritual testament and early psychological self-portrait. Published in 1643 after an unauthorized version was distributed the previous year, it became a European best-s ...

'' (translated into German in 1748 and praised by Lavater). Lavater's studies have also been related to Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's work as a sculptor. His work being mentioned by

Ernst Gombrich Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich (; ; 30 March 1909 – 3 November 2001) was an Austrian-born art historian who, after settling in England in 1936, became a naturalised British citizen in 1947 and spent most of his working life in the United Ki ...

described as a physiognomical fallacy.

Poet

As a

, Lavater published ''Christliche Lieder'' (1776–1780) and two epics, ''Jesus Messias'' (1780) and ''Joseph von Arimathia'' (1794), in the style of

Klopstock Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (; 2 July 1724 – 14 March 1803) was a German poet. His best known work is the epic poem ''Der Messias'' ("The Messiah"). One of his major contributions to German literature was to open it up to exploration outside ...

. More relevant to the religious temperament of Lavater's times are his introspective ''Aussichten in die Ewigkeit'' (4 vols. 1768-1778), ''Geheimes Tagebuch von einem Beobachter seiner selbst'' (2 vols., 1772–1773), and ''Pontius Pilatus, oder der Mensch in allen Gestalten'' (4 vols., 1782–1785).

Goethe

From 1774 on,

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

was intimately acquainted with Lavater, but later had a falling out with him, accusing him of

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs ...

and hypocrisy.

Blake

In 1788

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of t ...

annotated Lavater's ''Aphorisms of Man''. Lavater published 632

aphorisms An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tr ...

in all. Blake considered the following aphorism to be an excellent example of an aphorism. "40. Who, under pressing temptations to lie, adheres to truth, nor to the profane betrays aught of a sacred trust, is near the summit of wisdom and virtue."

Last days

During his later years, Lavater's influence waned, and he incurred considerable ridicule due to his vanity. His conduct during the French occupation of Switzerland brought about his death. On the taking of Zürich by the French in 1799, Lavater, while trying to appease the aggressors, was shot by an infuriated grenadier; he died over a year later. The

artist and illustrator, Warja Honegger-Lavater, was a direct descendant of Johann Kaspar Lavater.

Publications

*''Vermischte Schriften'' (2 vols., 1774–1781) *''Kleinere prosaische Schriften'' (3 vols., 1784–1785) *''Nachgelassene Schriften'' (5 vols., 1801–1802) *''Sämtliche Werke'' (poems only; 6 vols., 1836–1838) *''Ausgewählte Schriften'' (8 vols., 1841–1844). *''Physiognomische Fragmente zur Beförderung der Menschenkenntnis und Menschenliebe''

References

*''The Faces of physiognomy : interdisciplinary approaches to Johann Caspar Lavater''. Edited by Ellis Shookman. Columbia, SC : Camden House, 1993. () *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lavater, Johann Kaspar 1741 births 1801 deaths Writers from Zürich Christian poets Swiss male poets Swiss Protestant ministers Physiognomists Swiss illustrators Swiss criminologists 18th-century Swiss philosophers Swiss theologians