He also traces the historical paths through which this divine proportion has been passed down to us. The result is a fascinating search through history, an unforgettable jaunt over a vast terrain: from philosophy to mathematics, from architecture to biology and psychology.

Van der Schoot’s findings are spectacular. Contrary to common opinion, the golden ratio had no special status in antiquity. Nor did it play the prominent role in the Renaissance that has long been attributed to it. In fact, it is of virtually no significance in nature at all. Nor in psychology, though nineteenth-century psychologists went to great lengths to turn up evidence to the contrary.

So when did the golden ratio become sacrosanct? Van der Schoot discovered that it was the Romantics who first placed it on a pedestal. In the eyes of the Romantics, nature and culture were threatening to drift further and further apart. To bridge the gap, they latched on to the idea of a geometrical relationship with a distinct status not only in nature, but also in art and psychology.

The author’s iconoclastic conclusion in this compelling book is that the golden ratio has no basis in reality, and never had. His journey through the ages is as sobering as it is funny, especially when he describes the theoretical expedients that serious scholars have had to resort to in order to fit the ‘divine proportion’ into their research results. Thanks to this book, an important chapter on the mythology of art and science has now been totally rewritten.