Hesse's theorem states that “if two pairs of opposite vertices of a quadrilateral are respectively conjugate with respect to a given polarity, then the remaining pair of vertices are also conjugate ”.

In the real projective plane there cannot exist such a quadrilateral, all four sides of which are self-conjugate [1, §5.54]. We shall show that such a quadrilateral exists in PG(2, 3), and that any geometry in which such a quadrilateral exists contains the configuration 134 of PG(2,3). We shall thus provide a synthetic proof of Hesse1 s theorem for a quadrilateral of this type, which, together with [1, § 5.55], constitutes a complete proof of the theorem valid in general Desarguesian projective geometry. We shall also show analytically that a finite Desarguesian geometry which admits a Hessian quadrilateral all of whose sides touch a conic must be of type PG(2, 3n).