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PUBLISHED March 7, 2023

HUMANS

Why Are Penises In Older Paintings So Small

Compared To Today?
Around the 19th century, they suddenly got bigger.

JAMES FELTON
Senior Staff Writer

28 Comments 2.5k Shares

No, they weren't just bigger back then. Image credit: Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY
4.0).

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A study has looked into human penis size as depicted in paintings throughout the
centuries, finding that the appendage has grown significantly over the last seven
centuries, particularly in the 20th century.
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The team wanted to assess the ideal penis size throughout the ages, and how the male
ideal has been altered by cultural differences.

"It seems logical that these alterations in the perception of ideal penis size would be
reflected in paintings in which the penis is depicted," the team writes in their study.
"Thus, this study investigates the depiction of penis size in art and evaluates the
perception of penis size in a historical context over the past seven centuries."

The researchers first attempted to find as many paintings of nude males throughout the
centuries as possible, searching for variations of "nude male" on several popular art
websites, organizing them by time timeframe. Thankfully, there was no shortage of
depictions of nude males from the Renaissance onward, and the team identified 232
paintings from 21 countries which were suitable for the study, albeit with a European
bias. Any depictions of erect penises were rejected, as were paintings of children.

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As scale and distance is difficult to gauge in paintings (is that man's penis gigantic or
is he just standing near a tiny horse?) the researchers instead measured penis-to-ear
ratio, or penis-to-nose ratio given that they are equivalent "according to the golden
ratio". This gave a number that could be compared across time periods, with a number
less than 1 meaning that the penis size was depicted as smaller than its owner's ear or
nose, and 1 being equal sizes.

"During the 15th and 16th centuries, although the number of naked human paintings
increased considerably, the penis continued to be depicted as rather small," the team
found, noting that the depicted penis length did not change much over the next few
centuries, into the 1800s.

"However, from the 19th century onwards, images of the penis began to become
proportionally larger."

Date Average penis to ear/nose ratio

1400–1499 1.0585
1500–1599 0.9545
1600–1699 0.9623
1700–1799 1.0024
1800–1899 0.9409
1900–1999 1.2074
2000– 1.5761

Why the sudden increase in penis size over the last century?

"One explanation behind the exaggerated perceived penis size in paintings produced in
this century could be the widespread use of the internet and exposure to other media,
which perpetuate the association between penis size and masculinity, strength, and
partner satisfaction," the team suggests, adding that pornography may have changed
the "ideal" penis size for men.

"With the ubiquity of porn, supersized penises and exaggerated female reactions
towards them could make men compare their own penis size to that of others, including
those men who are featured in pornographic content."

The team points out that males tend to overestimate the average penis size, while also
underestimating their own (you may be surprised by the average penis size), with a
"considerable number of men" seeking potentially hazardous penis enhancements and
enlargements in recent years.

The team notes that the study has limitations, including how the paintings were found
and the European bias to them. However, if the findings are accurate they say it could
add to men's body image problems.

"Evolutions of artistic representation of the penis towards a larger, possibly unrealistic,

ideal in contemporary media might contribute to feelings of inadequacy and
dissatisfaction with penis size in modern men," the team concludes.

The study was published in the medical journal BJU International.

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