Brazilian forensic facial reconstruction specialist Cicero Moraes has developed a three-dimensional portrait of Russian Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible (1530-1584), a British newspaper reports The Daily Mail.
According to Moraes, despite differences in approaches, the results of his research are significantly reminiscent of the bust of Ivan the Terrible created by Soviet anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov in 1963. Gerasimov, who led the team of archaeologists who discovered the tomb of the Tsar and his sons in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, recreated the appearance of the Tsar from a poorly preserved skull. Using his method, Gerasimov created more than 200 sculptural portraits of historical figures.
“The only differences are in the lower lip and chin,” said the Brazilian specialist, who has previously reconstructed the faces of many historical figures from their remains using 3D modeling.
Moraes explained that in his work he combines several techniques , based on data from volunteers whose skulls are similar in structure to the faces he reconstructs. Using the technique of anatomical deformation, the Brazilian specialist changes the proportions of the faces and skulls of volunteers so that they closely match the model — in this case, a computer model of the skull of Ivan IV. Data from volunteers is also used to determine the possible thickness of the skin in different areas of the skull.
“The resulting bust is the result of the synthesis of all these data,” the Brazilian specialist emphasized. “It was a fascinating experience because, in addition to portrait reconstruction, I studied the biography of the Tsar,” added Moraes, noting that before starting work on the project he knew very little about Ivan the Terrible.