Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Chironomia

Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary, and Greek Lexicon (Rich, 1849)

CHIRONOM'IA (χειρονομία). The art of gesticulating or talking with the hands and by gestures, with or without the assistance of the voice. (Quint. i. 11. 17.) This art was of very great antiquity, and much practised by the Greeks and Romans, both on the stage and in the tribune, induced by their habit of addressing large assemblies in the open air, where it would have been impossible for the majority to comprehend what was said without the assistance of some conventional signs, which enabled the speaker to address himself to the eye as well as the ear of his audience. These were chiefly made by certain positions of the hands and fingers, the meaning of which was universally recognized and familiar to all classes, and the practice itself reduced to a regular system, as it remains at the present time amongst the populace of Naples, who will carry on a long conversation between themselves by mere gesticulation, and without pronouncing a word. It is difficult to illustrate such a matter in a work like this; but the act is frequentyly represented on the Greek vases, and other works of ancient art, by signs so clearly expressed, and so similar in their character to those still employed at Naples, that a common lazzaroni, when shown one of these compositions, will at once explain the purport of the action, which a scholar with all his learning cannot divine (Iorio, Mimica degli Antichi, p. 369.) In the illustration (Chironomia/1.1), for instance, which is copied from a Greek fictile vase, it is self-evident that the two females are engaged in a woman's quarrel; the one on the left, by her forward attitude and index finger pointedly directed towards the other, making some angry accusation against her; whilst the backward movement of the body exhibited by the figure on the right, the sudden cessation of her music, and the arms thrown open and upwards, present a very natural expression of surprise, either feigned or real, on her part. Thus much would be readily divined by any one. But the subject of the quarrel? That is told by the positions of the hands and fingers. It is a love quarrel, arising from jealousy; for the exact gesture employed by a modern Neapolitan to signify love, viz. joining together the tips of the fore-finger and thumb of the left hand, is exhibited by the figure on the left side of the picture; whilst the other woman not only expresses surprise by her attitude, but with her right hand raised up towards the shoulder, and all its fingers wide open and erect, denies the insinuation, and declares her indignation at the accusation; for such is the gesture which a Neapolitan employes to signify a negative, more especially when what is said excites his astonishment and displeasure. Thus these few gestures represent a long dialogue. The cause of quarrel is, without doubt, the sitting Faun, who, while affecting to play away so resolutely between the angry damsels, has been detected in making signs incautiously to the nymph with the tambourine, and which were perceived by his old flame who stands behind him.

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  Chironomia/1.1