Differences in longevity between Old Master sculptors and painters

The art of sculpting in stone expends more energy than painting on canvas or wood. To investigate whether European Old Master sculptors outlived painters, a database was established based on two art historical reference texts. Artists living in the 20th century were excluded from the database. Analysis of 406 artists from sixteen countries over five centuries revealed that sculptors lived significantly longer than painters (67.4 ± 1.1 vs. 63.6 ± 0.9 years, P < 0.01). This finding correlates with the work of Paffenbarger and colleagues who documented that longshoremen with a heavy workload live significantly longer that men assigned to light work activity. It is estimated that the caloric expenditure of sculpting is approximately 2.5 times greater than painting and approximates the caloric expenditure of cargo handling longshoremen. Since the major cause of death prior to the 20th century was infectious disease, the increased longevity of Old Master sculptors may reflect the effect of moderate exercise on the immune system.