The science called physiognomy has been around for many thousands of years. The first physiognomists were savages who painted their faces to frighten their enemies. The Egyptians tried to achieve a physiognomic effect by changing the shape of the skull. A typical example is the artificially elongated skulls of the daughters of Amenophis, kept in a Berlin museum, dating back to 1350 BC. e. We owe the first written evidence of physiognomic research to Aristotle. From the physiognomy attributed to him, we learn that before him, physiognomists studied the expression of the “faces” of animals in order to reveal the secret of the human face. With the extinction of ancient cultures, interest in physiognomy also ceased. Only in Leonardo da Vinci do we find an increasing number of reports of his physiognomic observations. Michelangelo was engaged in very detailed physiognomic research - as, without a doubt, is evidenced by his paintings, which truthfully and even naturalistically convey human passions and suffering - but, unfortunately, he did not leave any written evidence of his physiognomic research. The book of the famous German scientist will be useful practical psychologists, artists, law enforcement officers, as well as all those interested in psychology.