Haarmensch, Haarmann, Petrus Gonsalvus (geboren 1556), Pedro Gonsales, Pedro Gonsalez

The extraordinary strong covering of hair of Pedro Gonzalez is called Hypertrichosis Universalis Congenita. Since 1993 this phenomenon is related to as »Ambras Syndrome«. Gonsalus was born in 1537 on the isle of Tenerife and grew up at the court of King Henry II of France. After Henry’s death in 1559 Gonsalus went to the Netherlands to the court of Margarethe of Austria, who took him and his family with her, when she went to Parma in 1583. In the Chamber of Art and Wonders at Ambras there are three paintings of hairy people, father, son and daughter. The paintings were made around 1580 in Munich and were most likely given to Ferdinand II as presents by the local dukes.