An international team of researchers has recreated the appearance of famous Austrian composer and virtuoso Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). His adult appearance has been a mystery—until now.
Most portraits of the composer were painted after his death. The few surviving images from his lifetime do not provide a complete picture of what Mozart looked like as an adult. In some, he is shown as a child, while the accuracy of others is questionable.
In 1962, the German musicologist Alfred Einstein wrote: “No earthly remains of Mozart have survived, except for a few pitiful portraits, none of which are identical.”
The mystery is solved
Renowned Brazilian forensic medicine expert and 3D reconstruction designer Cicero Moraes has recreated many faces of well-known individuals who died long ago. “Our team has been working on facial reconstruction for over ten years, consistently assisting forensic police and continually reconstructing the appearances of historical figures,” Moraes said.
He says he accidentally discovered Mozart’s skull while working on another project. Moraes and his team decided to recreate the composer’s appearance, the Daily Mail reports.
“The skull was in good condition, although the lower jaw was not preserved and some teeth were missing. However, in the end, they were able to reconstruct it along with the complete skull using statistical data and anatomical consistency,” the expert said.
The team started by virtually reconstructing the skull. Then they used various techniques to create a complete facial reconstruction. According to Moraes, the scientists “used markers of soft tissue thickness, which helped to gain insight into the boundaries of the skin on the face, as well as to project structures such as the nose, ears, lips, and so on.” These indicators, Moraes added, were based on measurement data from hundreds of adult Europeans.
To get the most complete picture, the scientists also used anatomical deformation techniques, adjusting the head of the virtual donor to match the parameters of Mozart’s skull.
“After comparing all the data, we ended up with a basic bust, which we supplemented with hair and period clothing,” the expert said. Ultimately, the finished face had a refined appearance, he added.
What else did Cicero Moraes say?
According to Cicero Moraes, the most famous portrait of Mozart was painted by Barbara Kraft in 1819, 28 years after his death.
One important lifetime portrait of the composer is the unfinished canvas from 1783 by Joseph Lange. Mozart’s wife, Constanze, described Lange’s work as “undoubtedly his best likeness.” The face Moraes’ team reconstructed most closely resembles that portrait.
The expert said: “Only after the bust was completed did we compare it with these images. The result was entirely consistent with both works.”
What is known about the composer’s skull? Ten years after Mozart’s death, the gravedigger Joseph Rothmayer retrieved it from a mass grave in Vienna. The skull then changed hands several times and, in 1902, was donated to the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Moraes says the skull has characteristics that correspond to the composer’s lifetime portraits. He added that he felt fortunate to reconstruct the appearance of such a famous figure. “I am a great lover of classical music; I listen almost every day, and Mozart is on my playlist,” the expert said.
The international team of Cicero Moraes included archaeologists Michael Gabicht and Olena Varotto from Flinders University (Australia), Luca Sineo from the University of Palermo (Italy), Tiago Beaini from the University of Uberlândia (Brazil), Francesco Maria Galassi from the University of Łódź (Poland), and Jiří Šindelář from the GEO-CZ company for cultural heritage preservation (Czech Republic).
The results of the study were published in the journal Anthropological Review.
