Want to look evil straight in the eye?
Scientists have put a face to a notorious name after digitally reconstructing the visage of one of history’s greatest monsters — Ivan The Terrible.
“It was a very interesting experience as it involved not only facial approximation, but the study of his story,” graphics designer Cicero Moraes said in a Youtube video, where the Brazilian explained how he executed the virtual recreation.
Moraes has become renowned in scientific circles for his digital facsimiles of historical figures, including the alleged richest man in history and the mysterious “gilded lady” mummy.
The Russian despot died 440 years ago in 1584, following a reign of terror that saw the paranoid tyrant execute anyone he perceived to be disloyal.
In 1581, shortly before his death, the terror-loving tsar killed his son and only viable heir Ivan IV in a fit of fury.
To bring his likeness to life, Moraes first amassed data from a scientific excavation of the dictator’s grave by Soviet researcher Mikhail Gerasimov.
“According to Dr. Gerasimov’s study, it appears that Ivan indulged in a disorderly life of excessive eating and alcohol abuse,” the digital wizard described. “This must have worsened his condition in his last years.”
He added, “An interesting fact is that they found a large amount of mercury in his body, which made some suspect poisoning. But given the habits of the time, it may have been used as a treatment for some health problem.”
This visage was a far cry from the younger leader, who was described as “tall, with beautiful hair, broad shoulders, strong muscles and a pleasant face.”
Armed with this info, the facial forensics expert painted a digital portrait using data from living donors to approximate the tsar’s skin at different places across his skull.
He then digitally altered the face of said contributor until they matched Ivan’s dimensions.
“The final bust was a combination of all this data,” said Mr Moraes.
The resultant recreation — which Moraes described as “strong” and “determined” — depicts a balding man with a graying beard and hair.
This visage was a far cry from the younger leader, who was described as “tall, with beautiful hair, broad shoulders, strong muscles and a pleasant face,” per Moraes.
Interestingly, while researching the bust, the graphics designer discovered that the so-called “cruelest man in history” may have not been as terrible as his name suggests.
“I found sources that affirmed the epithet of ‘terrible’ and others with different evidence, indicating that the fame may have been exaggerated, for example, by enemies and adversaries,” said Moraes.
