Gonsalvus children, 16th-century examples of hypertrichosis. Two of the daughters of nobleman Petrus Gonsalvus (from the court of Parma). Born in around 1537, Gonsalvus was famous in his lifetime for his condition of hypertrichosis (excessive bodily hair growth). He married Catherine (see image C047/5757) and four of their children also exhibited hypertrichosis. This illustration dates from around 1575 and was published in 'Animalia Rationalia et Insecta', a set of miniatures of animals by Flemish painter Joris Hoefnagel. The captions for this illustration are biblical quotes from Psalm 112.