In the 1580s, Gaspare Tagliacozzi (1545–1599), a young professor in surgery and anatomy at the University of Bologna, Italy, was the only one to carry out reconstructions of the nose and other missing parts of the face.

This article examines a recently discovered painting of a young scholar holding a reconstructed nose. Experts in ancient paintings have confirmed that the portrait is an authentic painting of the School of Bologna in Italy, from the last quarter of the Renaissance.