Historical case: "Portrait of a one-eyed man" by Vincent Van Gogh

The post-impressionist Dutch painter Vincent Willem Van Gogh (1853-1890) painted the "Portrait of a one-eyed man" (1889) when he was admitted to the mental hospital of Saint Paul-de-Mausole. The portrait probably depicts one of Van Gogh's fellow patients who was suffering from a left-sided upper eyelid ptosis. Neurofibromatosis type I with orbitotemporal involvement has been suggested as the underlying disease process. However, from an otorhinolaryngological point of view, alternative diagnoses are possible. In this paper, the entities of giant frontal sinus osteoma and giant frontal sinus mucocoele are discussed, as well as the operative procedures available at the end of the nineteenth century to treat these lesions.