1599: first iconographic description of hepatoerythropoietic porphyria.

The author's aim was to contribute information to the history of porphyrias through the analysis of a 16th century portrait. The subject drawn by physician Aldrovandi is a 20-year-old girl showing remarkable facial hypertrichosis, while her body is described as hairless. After a brief excursus through the history of porphyrias, the author revisited a previous diagnosis of hypertrichosis lanuginosa with the aid of current clinical findings.