31 December 2010

Tycho Brahe's artificial nose

I've written three posts this year re Tycho Brahe (here, here, and here). In view of the post above this one, I just wanted to insert a note here re Brahe's nose - something I learned from the book Heavenly Intrigue (re which more later...):
[After the swordfight sliced away the bridge of his nose]... Brahe escaped serious infection and, after his recovery, had a resplendent prosthesis made of gold and silver alloy, which he wore for important occasions, employing a lighter, copper-based nosepiece for general use.  Had he desired to hide his deformity more effectively, he could have had a more convincingly flesh-colored piece fashioned from wax.  It was characteristic of his larger-than-life personality, however, that he did not."
Image source.

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