Secret Hand Gestures in Paintings (2019)
Renaissance and later European paintings often depict figures with an unusual hand pose where the middle fingers are pressed together, a motif some have speculated might signal medical deformity or secret religious or Masonic codes. Commenters examine more mundane explanations — artistic convention, aesthetic preference, or natural hand anatomy and posing — and generally conclude it is likely a stylistic trend rather than evidence of widespread syndactyly or hidden societies. The quality and framing of the biomedical journal article that triggered the interest are also criticized as methodologically weak and linguistically sloppy, raising questions about how such work ends up in PubMed.
Why this paper is on NIH/NCBI
- Several comments explain it’s in PubMed Central because it appeared in a biomedical journal that qualifies for the repository.
- The medical angle is syndactyly: the gesture superficially mimics fused fingers, and the paper notes paintings show it more often than medical records suggest.
Proposed explanations for the gesture
- Medical: an “epidemic of syndactyly” is broadly rejected, including in the paper.
- Secret codes: crypto‑Jewish sign, Masonic code, or other esoteric/secret-society symbols are discussed; some find these ideas fascinating but unsubstantiated.
- Symbolic: suggestions include Hebrew letters (e.g., shin), Latin letters (M or W), or Christian theology parallels to other hand signs (dual nature of Christ, Trinity).
- Artistic convention: many see it as a stylistic device that spread by copying “the masters,” making hands more visually interesting and asymmetrical.
- Natural pose: multiple commenters report their own relaxed hands often group the middle fingers; others propose anatomical and posture-based reasons (wrist rotation, nerve distribution, writing or painting habits).
Comparisons to other gesture traditions
- Religious gestures (two-finger blessings, three-finger Trinity sign) are cited as parallels in Christian art and ritual.
- Indian mudras and modern coded gestures (Korean feminist sign, repurposed “OK” sign, gang signs) are used as analogies for how ordinary poses can acquire hidden or politicized meanings.
Critiques of the paper
- Many find it poorly argued: weak methods, little quantitative analysis, rapid dismissal of alternative hypotheses.
- Language quality (grammar, apparent translation issues) and internal inconsistencies are criticized.
- Some feel the piece belongs more to art history than biomedicine; others enjoy it as light, speculative humanities work despite its sloppiness.