The philosophy of beards : a lecture : physiological, artistic & historical / by T.S. Gowing.
28/92

15 (canvas 29)
The image contains the following text:
As amusing and instructive pendants, take two drawings
of the head of a lion, one with and the other without the
mane. You will see how much of the majesty of the king
of the woods, as well as that of the lord of the earth,
dwells in this free flowing appendage. By comparing
these drawings with those of Jupiter, you will detect, I
think, in the head of the lion whence the Greek sculptor
drew his ideal of this nohle type of godlike humanity.
Since this idea struck me, Mr. John Marshall, in a
lecture at the Government School of Practical Art, has
remarked, " that nature leaves nothing hut what is beautiful'
uncovered, and that the masculine chin is seldom sightly,
because it was designed to be covered, while the chins of
women are generally beautiful." This view he supported
by instancing, " that the bear, the rabbit, the cat, and the
bird, are hideous to look upon when deprived of their
hairy and feathery decorations: but the horse, the grey-
hound, and other animals so sparingly covered that the
shape remains unaltered by the fur, are beautiful even in
their naked forms." This argument, it seems to me,
applies with greater force to the various ages of man. In
the babe, the chin is exceedingly soft, and its curve blends
into those of the face and neck: in the boy it still retains
a feminine gentleness of line, but as he advances to the
youth, the bones grow more and more prominent, and the
future character begins to stamp itself upon the form: at