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- Image was reconstructed from 3D scans of Richard's skull
- Comes after experts yesterday confirmed Leicester skeleton was him
- Features match those of portraits painted after his death
This is the face of Richard III, reconstructed from the skull found beneath a social services car park that was yesterday confirmed as that of the last Plantagenet king.
The facial reconstruction was today released following the confirmation that the skeleton unearthed in Leicester was that of the king killed in battle more than 500 years ago.
The image is based on a CT scan taken by experts at the University of Leicester, who discovered the king's skeleton with the help of the Richard III Society during an archaeological dig last September.
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Revealed: This is the face of King Richard III,
reconstructed from 3D scans of his skull after the positive
identification of his skeleton found beneath a social services car part
in Leicester last year
Solving the puzzle of Richard: To make the reconstruction, forensic
experts took a 3D scan of the skull unearthed at Greyfriars before using
a computer to add layers of muscle and skin
In an extraordinary find which
challenges conventional historical accounts, the skeleton of the last of
England's medieval kings was identified by DNA analysis after
researchers traced his living descendants.
The remains were found on the site of
the choir of the Greyfriars church, which now lies beneath the mundane
concrete of a council car park.
The facial reconstruction was officially unveiled today, but it was broadcast last night in a Channel 4 documentary on the find.
It reveals the controversial king had
amore pleasant, younger and fuller appearance than period portraits
reveal - a face far removed from the image of the cold-blooded villain
of Shakespeare's play.
Posthumous portrait: With its arched nose and prominent chin, the features are similar to those shown in pictures of Richard painted after his death
The 'calm and apparently thoughtful'
face is in contrast to the many portrayals of Richard III, showing
contorted facial and bodily features some say were created for political
reasons following his death.
However, with its slightly arched nose
and prominent chin, the essential features of the slain king are
largely similar to those shown in portraits of Richard, of whom no
contemporary portraits exist.
Richard III was killed in the Battle
of Bosworth in 1485, deposed at the age of just 32 after just two years
on the throne by the forces of Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII.
His body was discovered in a shallow
grave just 2ft beneath the concrete car park following a search
instigated by Philippa Langley, a member of the Richard III Society.
'It doesn't look like the face of a
tyrant. I'm sorry but it doesn't,' she told the documentary on the
search last night. 'He's very handsome. It's like you could just talk to
him, have a conversation with him right now.'
The reconstruction project, led by
Caroline Wilkinson, Professor of Craniofacial Identification at the
University of Dundee, was commissioned and funded by the Richard III
Society.
Professor Wilkinson said today: 'It was a great privilege for us all in the Dundee team to work on this important investigation.
'It has been enormously exciting to
rebuild and visualise the face that could be Richard III, and this
depiction may allow us to see the King in a different light.'
'It doesn't look like the face of a tyrant': Richard III Society member Philippa Langley, who instigated the search, stands besides a facial reconstruction of King Richard III before it was officially unveiled today
The king's facial structure was
produced using a scientific approach, based on anatomical assessment and
interpretation, and a 3D replication process known as
'stereolithography'.
The final head was painted and
textured with glass eyes and a wig, using the portraits as reference, to
create 'a realistic and regal appearance'.
Janice Aitken, a lecturer at Duncan of
Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD), part of Dundee
University, painted the 3D replica of the head that Professor Wilkinson
created.
HOW EXPERTS RECREATED THE FACE OF KING RICHARD III
To make the reconstruction of King Richard III, forensic experts took a 3D scan of the skull unearthed at Greyfriars before using a computer to add layers of muscle and skin.
The king's facial structure was produced using a scientific approach, based on anatomical assessment and interpretation, and a 3D replication process known as 'stereolithography'.
The result was made into a three-dimensional plastic model.
'When the 3D digital bust was complete it was replicated in plastic using a rapid prototyping system and this was painted, prosthetic eyes added and dressed with a wig, hat and clothing,' said Caroline Wilkinson, professor of craniofacial identification at the University of Dundee.
The final head was painted and textured with glass eyes and a wig, using the portraits as reference, to create 'a realistic and regal appearance'.
Janice Aitken, a lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD), part of Dundee University, painted the 3D replica of the head that Professor Wilkinson created.
'My part in the process was purely interpretive rather than scientific,' she said.
'Guided by Professor Wilkinson's expertise, I drew on my experience in portrait painting, using a combination of historical and contemporary references to create a finished surface texture.'
'My part in the process was purely interpretive rather than scientific,' she said.
'Guided by Professor Wilkinson's
expertise, I drew on my experience in portrait painting, using a
combination of historical and contemporary references to create a
finished surface texture.'
Dr Phil Stone, chairman of the Richard
III Society, said: 'It's an interesting face, younger and fuller than
we have been used to seeing, less careworn, and with the hint of a
smile.
'When I first saw it, I thought there
is enough of the portraits about it for it to be King Richard but not
enough to suggest they have been copied.
'I think people will like it. He's a
man who lived. Indeed, when I looked him in the eye, 'Good King Richard'
seemed alive and about to speak.
'At last, it seems, we have the true image of Richard III - is this the face that launched a thousand myths?'
The reconstruction will eventually be
loaned to Leicester City Council to be displayed in their planned
visitors centre adjacent to the Greyfriars site, dedicated to telling
the story of King Richard III's life and death.
There are no surviving contemporary portraits of the king, making this reconstruction particularly important.
Historian and author John
Ashdown-Hill, an expert on Richard III's reign, told the BBC that the
reconstruction largely matched the prominent features in posthumous
representations of the king.
'All the surviving portraits of him -
even the very later ones with humped backs and things which were
obviously later additions - facially are quite similar [to each other]
so it has always been assumed that they were based on a contemporary
portrait painted in his lifetime or possibly several portraits painted
in his lifetime,' he said.
As they were found: The remains of King Richard
III were found in a hastily dug grave beneath a council car park in
Leicester last September, in what were once the precincts of Grey Friars
church
The skull of the king as it was found by
archaeologists: Trauma to the skeleton showed the king died after one of
two significant wounds to the back of the skull - possibly caused by a
sword and a halberd
Hunched in death as he was in life: The skeleton was found in good condition with its feet missing
Ms Langley, added: 'Seeing a true
likeness of England's last Plantagenet and warrior king meant, for me,
finally coming face-to-face with the man I'd invested four years
searching for.
RESEARCH SHOWS KING RICHARD MAY HAVE HAD MIDLANDS ACCENT
King Richard III would have sounded more like a Brummie than a northerner, according to a language expert.
Dr Philip Shaw, from the University of Leicester's School of English, used two letters penned by the last king of the Plantagenet line more than 500 years ago to try to piece together what the monarch would have sounded like.
He studied the king's use of grammar and spelling in postscripts on the letters.
Despite being the patriarch of the House of York, the king's accent 'could probably associate more or less with the West Midlands' than from Yorkshire or the North of England, said Dr Shaw.
'But that's an accent you might well see in London - an educated London accent,' he said.
'Possibly even a northern one but there are no northern symptoms, so there's nothing to suggest a Yorkshire accent in the way that he writes, I'm sorry to say for anyone who associates him with Yorkshire.'
The first letter was written in 1469 before Richard became king - and well before his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 - and is an urgent request for a £100 loan, while he rode to put down a rising in Yorkshire.
The second letter from 1483 was written following his ascent to the throne, penned during a rebellion by the Duke of Buckingham.
'The experience was breathtaking - one
of the most overwhelming moments of my life. I wasn't alone in finding
this an approachable, kindly face, almost inviting conversation.
'Perhaps I may be forgiven for adding a
personal impression of loyalty and steadfastness, someone seemingly
capable of deep thought. An entirely new interpretation, but to me,
instantly recognisable for who he was. You must make up your own mind,
but I can only say I was transfixed.'
The reconstruction comes after
University of Leicester academics yesterday revealed the the king's
remains bore the marks of ten injuries inflicted shortly before his
death.
More gruesome,
however, was evidence of ‘humiliation’ injuries, including a cut to the
ribcage and a pelvic wound likely caused by an upward thrust of a weapon
through his buttock.
The skeleton was described of that of a slender male, in his late 20s or early 30s. Richard was 32 when he died.
Newly-released
pictures also show a distinctive curvature of the spine synonymous with
the hunchback king immortalised by Shakespeare.
There was, however, no evidence of a withered arm, which was also part of the Richard myth.
Speaking to 140 journalists who had
travelled from across the world for the announcement, the university’s
lead archaeologist Richard Buckley described the identity of the remains
as ‘beyond reasonable doubt.'
‘It
is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that the
individual exhumed at Greyfriars in August 2012 is indeed King Richard
III, the last Plantagenet King of England.’
Deputy
registrar Richard Taylor described the discovery as ‘truly astonishing’
and said it could ‘prove to be one of the biggest archaeological
discoveries of recent times’.
The long-awaited announcement was greeted by cheers.
The fatal blows? This image of the skull shows where Richard III was injured
Another cut mark can be seen on the jaw bone of Richard III: Researchers identified ten wounds on the remains
The Battle of Bosworth: Richard, pictured on the
white horse, was killed in battle more than 500 years ago at Bosworth
field, in a battle which marked the end of his line and the rise of the
Tudors
Richard, depicted by William
Shakespeare as a monstrous tyrant who murdered two princes in the Tower
of London, died at the Battle of Bosworth Field, defeated by an army led
by Henry Tudor.
According to historical records, his
body was taken 15 miles to Leicester where it was displayed as proof of
his death before being buried in the Franciscan friary.
The team from Leicester University
set out to trace the site of the old church and its precincts, including
the site where Richard was finally laid to rest.
They began excavating the city centre
location in August last year and soon discovered the skeleton, which
was found in good condition with its feet missing in a grave around 68cm (27in) below ground level.
It was lying in a rough cut grave with the hands crossed in a manner which indicated they were bound when he was buried.
To the naked eye, it was clear that the remains had a badly curved spine and trauma injuries to the rear of the head.
But archaeologists were keen to make no official announcement until the skeleton had been subjected to months of tests.
Speaking at yesterday’s press conference,
University of Leicester geneticist Dr Turi King described how
researchers had traced Richard’s descendants to confirm the body was
indeed that of England’s last medieval king.
These were Canadian born furniture
maker Michael Ibsen, a direct descendant of the Richard’s sister Anne of
York, and a second person who has asked to remain anonymous.
Dr King said: ‘The DNA sequence
obtained from the Grey Friars skeletal remains was compared with the two
maternal line relatives of Richard III.
‘We were very excited to find that
there is a DNA match between the maternal DNA from the family of Richard
III and the skeletal remains we found at the Grey Friars dig.’
The analysis showed the individual
had a slender physique and severe scoliosis - a curvature of the spine -
possibly with one shoulder visibly higher than the other.
This is consistent with descriptions of Richard III's appearance from the time, the researchers said.
The cut mark on the right rib of King Richard III: It is thought this and a number of other injuries found on the skeleton are evidence of 'humiliation injuries' inflicted after his death
Two vertebrae of the skeleton, believed to belong to King Richard III, were found to show abnormal features relating to scoliosis, or curvature of the spine. Leicester University claimed this find corroborates historical accounts of Richard that described him as a hunchback
The blade wound to Richard's pelvis: This pelvic wound was likely caused by an upward thrust of a weapon through the buttock, researchers said
Trauma to the skeleton showed the
king died after one of two significant wounds to the back of the skull -
possibly caused by a sword and a halberd.
Dr Appleby said this was consistent with contemporary accounts of the monarch being killed after receiving a blow to the head.
The skeleton also showed a number of
non-fatal injuries to the head and rib and to the pelvis, which is
believed to have been caused by a wound through the right buttock.
Dr Appleby said these may have been so-called ‘humiliation injuries’ inflicted after his death.
‘The skeleton has a number of unusual features: its slender build, the scoliosis and the battle-related trauma,’ she said.
‘All of these are highly consistent
with the information that we have about Richard III in life and about
the circumstances of his death.
‘Taken as a whole, the skeletal evidence provides a highly convincing case for identification as Richard III.’
The search for the lost king: The announcement
of the find followed months of
analysis of the remains since they were unearthed last September in a
car park behind a council social services building in Leicester
We've been looking for you: Actors dressed as
knights look where archaeologists found skeletal remains during an
archaelogical dig to find the remains of King Richard III in Leicester
Grave: The spot in a Leicester car park where a set of remains were found which may be Richard III
The bones had also undergone
radiocarbon dating which indicated the man found had died sometime
between 1485 and 1550 - consistent with historical records of the king’s
death.
Archaeologists, historians and local
tourism officials were all hoping for confirmation that the monarch's
long-lost remains have been located.
So were the king's fans in the Richard III Society, set up to re-evaluate the reputation of a reviled monarch.
Richard was immortalised in a play by
William Shakespeare as a hunchbacked usurper who left a trail of bodies
- including those of his two young nephews, murdered in the Tower of
London - on his way to the throne.
Richard III remains an enigma -
villain to many, hero to some. He ruled England between 1483 and 1485,
during the decades-long tussle over the throne known as the Wars of the
Roses.
His brief reign saw liberal reforms,
including introduction of the right to bail and the lifting of
restrictions on books and printing presses.
His rule was challenged, and he was
defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field by the army of Henry
Tudor, who took the throne as King Henry VII.
Richard III’s remains are expected to be re-interred in Leicester Cathedral.
VIDEO Richard III project director unveils bust of the last Plantagenet King
VIDEO How the riddle was solved. Piecing together the story of Richard III...
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