855 – Palmistry hand

Physical description:

White china hand marked with black lines and writing, for use as a palmistry guide.

Museum classification:

Divination

Size:

260 x 170 x 80 mm

Information:

Palmistry or cheiromancy is the ancient art of reading hands, it was practised in China, Tibet, Persia, India, Greece, Egypt and around the world.
Records show that Anaxagoras practised and taught cheiromancy in 423 BC and Hispanus discovered, on an altar dedicated to Hermes, a book on the subject which he later presented to Alexander the Great.
Palmistry deals with the study of the hand in its entirety. The shape of the hand relates to hereditary influence on character and disposition; and the lines and markings of the palm relate to events past, present and future.

This object was loaned to the British Library for The British Library ‘Harry Potter’ Exhibition [ London: October 2017- Feb 2018, New York: October 2018 – January 2019, Kobe: September 2021 - November 2021, Tokyo: December 2021 - March 2022 ]

Resource:

Object

Materials:

China

Palmistry or cheiromancy is the ancient art of reading hands, it was practised in China, Tibet, Persia, India, Greece, Egypt and around the world.
Records show that Anaxagoras practised and taught cheiromancy in 423 BC and Hispanus discovered, on an altar dedicated to Hermes, a book on the subject which he later presented to Alexander the Great.
Palmistry deals with the study of the hand in its entirety. The shape of the hand relates to hereditary influence on character and disposition; and the lines and markings of the palm relate to events past, present and future.

This object was loaned to the British Library for The British Library ‘Harry Potter’ Exhibition [ London: October 2017- Feb 2018, New York: October 2018 – January 2019, Kobe: September 2021 - November 2021, Tokyo: December 2021 - March 2022 ]