(details from ""De stadsontvanger" (Tax collectors)") Marinus van Reymerswael (c.1494 - 1567) Royal Musuem of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium

This image illustrates ideas related to the hand in terms of "grasp" and "grip". The ideas inherent in such terms are explored elsewhere, but one other point merits attention - the "face" or "facies" conveying the notion of "greed". The face conveys gestures and their study as per "physiognomy" points to "gnomos" for "to know". In 1530, Paracelsus (Aureolus Philippus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim) used the term "gnome" to stress that these diminutive beings knew of hidden treasures underground - Paracelsus investigated minerals as curative agents and became a pioneer of Pharmacology.