Petrus Gonsalvus

Petrus Gonsalvus (; , Tenerife – , Capodimonte) was a gentleman in the court of Henry II of France.

Referred to by Ulisse Aldrovandi as "the man of the woods", he was notable for his unusual hairiness, which attracted attention throughout his life (and beyond, especially as most of his children inherited his condition). This interest came both from doctors — being considered the first definitely recorded case of hypertrichosis (at least in Europe) — as well as from society at large (including high society, where he spent much time), with him acquiring such nicknames as the "wild gentleman of Tenerife" () and the "Canarian werewolf" (). His life at various courts in France and Italy has been well chronicled.

Biography

Gonsalvus was born around 1537 in Tenerife, shortly after the conquest of the island by Alonso Fernández de Lugo. Of Guanche heritage, he was deemed worthy of the honorific later in his life on account of his supposed parental descent from the menceys of Tenerife.

Gonsalvus first came to the court of Henry II, King of France in 1547 at the age of around 10, and was sent there as a gift from the court of Margaret of Parma, regent of the Netherlands. He married while there; the name of his wife remains unknown, but it is believed she was named Catherine Raffelin and that she may have been a lady-in-waiting to Catherine de' Medici. Later, he was moved into the court of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma. Of his six children, only two — Françoise and Enrico — did not have hypertrichosis. The ones who did — such as Antonietta Gonsalvus — were also the subject of attention, including paintings. His family became an object of medical inquiry by Ulisse Aldrovandi among others. Despite living and acting as nobles, Gonsalvus and his hairy children were not considered fully human in the eyes of their contemporaries and were gifted, like their father was, to other nobles as a sort of court pet. Gonsalvus eventually settled in Italy with his wife.

He was listed among those who had attended his grandson's christening in 1617. He died in 1618 in Capodimonte. He was 81 years old.

Chamber of Art and Curiosities, Ambras Castle

The Chamber of Art and Curiosities, Ambras Castle collection in Innsbruck, Austria has a painting of Pedro González (Petrus Gonsalvus) as well as other people who display an extreme form of hirsutism, also called Ambras syndrome or hypertrichosis in 1933 in reference to its depiction at this collection.

File:Joris Hoefnagel - Animalia Rationalia et Insecta (Ignis)- Plate I.jpg, Petrus Gonsalvus and his wife Catherine by Joris Hoefnagel
File:Joris Hoefnagel - Animalia Rationalia et Insecta (Ignis)- Plate II.jpg, Children of Petrus Gonsalvus by Joris Hoefnagel
File:Innsbruck 2 264.jpg, Madelene Gonsalvas portrait, 1580, Ambras collection
File:16th-century unknown painters - The Son of the "Hairy Man from Munich" - WGA23791.jpg, Henry Gonsalvas, Ambras Collection
File:Tognina.jpg, Portrait of Antonietta Gonzales by Lavinia Fontana, 1595.
Agostino Carracci - Hairy Harry, Mad Peter and Tiny Amon - WGA4398.jpg, Agostino Carracci. Hairy Harry, Mad Peter and Tiny Amon. 1598. Capodimonte

Legacy

It is believed the marriage between Petrus Gonsalvus and Lady Catherine may have partially inspired the fairy tale ''Beauty and the Beast''." 'La Bella y la Bestia': Una historia real inspirada por un hombre de carne y hueso"
Difundir.org, February 1, 2016.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonsalvus, Petrus
1537 births
1618 deaths
16th-century German people
17th-century German people
People from Tenerife
People with hypertrichosis
German royalty and nobility with disabilities
Beauty and the Beast