Skin abnormalities in the Finnish National Gallery

The search for clinical signs suggestive of diseases and medical analysis in works of art and portraits is also known as iconodiagnosis. It raises discussions about underlying diseases and about whether the artist intended to represent them. We assessed the frequency of cutaneous signs in paintings on display in the permanent collections of the Ateneum and Sinebrychoff Art Museums, Finnish National Gallery in Helsinki. The most common feature was facial redness. Redness was mainly located on the cheeks with variable intensity according to paintings. Facial redness may be related to stylistic features, to make-up of the sitter, or the painter intended to depict an individual in good health or a specific emotion. It may be also related to rosacea, a common feature in individuals with fair skin. Lupus was not evoked in any of the cases. Additional specific findings included mainly sun-exposed skin lesions such as sun tan or chronic poikiloderma, skin aging (Milian's citrine skin), naevi, keratosis pilaris rubra, and ear piercing. We report here some specificities of the skin conditions displayed in the Finnish National Gallery. Examining from a dermatological point of view, works of art gives to a museum visit a twist.