Historical Reconstructions
Organized in chronological order, according to the approximated death date of the reconstructee
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The completed silicone facial reconstruction of Tutankhamun, from Science Photo Library
Learn more about the artist, sculptor Élisabeth Daynès, here
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun
The face of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhaman, who was 19 when he died around 3,300 years ago, has been a favorite of facial reconstructionists for years (Betty Pat Gatliff, for instance, created a reconstruction of his face back in 1984).
In 2005, three groups of researchers took part in a project where they independently produced reconstructions of the bust of Tutankhaman. Based on CT scans of Tutankhaman’s remains, National Geographic provided 3D printed plastic skulls for the French and American teams to work on (the Egyptian team made their own). The three resulting reconstructions looked fairly similar, with some differences.
The example shown here is based on the French team’s reconstruction, led by forensic anthropologist Jean-Noel Vignal of the Centre Technique de la Gendarmerie Nationale, in Paris; Paris-based sculptor Élisabeth Daynès created a plaster cast of the original clay sculpture, and used it to produce the silicone cast pictured.
Élisabeth Daynès working on her reconstruction of Tutankhamun, from Science Photo Library
Video from YouTuber Emily Graslie's channel "The Brain Scoop," featuring Daynès' reconstruction.
Juanita, the "Ice Maiden"
Juanita, the "Ice Maiden"
Facial reconstruction of Juanita, the "Ice Maiden," by sculptor and forensic artist Oscar D. Nilsson. Image from Oscar D. Nilsson. Learn more about the artist here
“For many years, mummies were treated as objects in the museum... By conducting scientific research and facial reconstruction, we want to restore their identity. A well-made reconstruction allows us to show the people who were behind the story we want to tell."
- Bioarchaeologist Dr. Dagmara Socha
In 1995, while trekking up Ampato, one of the highest volcanoes in the Andes, archeologists accidentally discovered the frozen, mummified remains of a young Inca girl. The archeologists named the girl, who would later be determined to be around 15 years old, “Juanita,” or the “Ice Maiden.”
In 2023, sculptor and forensic artist Oscar D. Nilsson worked with archeologists to obtain CT scans of Juanita. It was determined Juanita had died from a severe blow to the back of the head. A 3D printed replica of her skull was created for Nilsson to work on. From that he worked with clay to build Juanita’s face, then cast the reconstruction in silicone. DNA analysis helped determine details like skin and hair color, and clothing similar to that found on Juanita’s mummified remains were recreated for the reconstruction to wear.
"I thought I'd never know what her face looked like when she was alive," said the archeologist who found Juanita, Johan Reinhard. "Now 28 years later, this has become a reality thanks to Oscar Nilsson's reconstruction."
Images from Oscar D. Nilsson showing the stages of Juanita, the "Ice Maiden's," facial reconstruction.
Jane
Jane
“For centuries, the written accounts were the only proof of cannibalism at James Fort. Nineteen years of modern excavations within the fort walls had not provided any irrefutable evidence necessary to prove that colonist's accounts of cannibalism were fact. Until now.”
That was when, in 2012, archeologists working at the site of the James Fort in Jamestown, Virginia, discovered the butchered partial skeleton of a teenage girl, mixed together in a waste pit with animal bones and other trash. The girl's skull showed clear signs of being hit multiple times with a sharp object, and of being defleshed.
“Jane” was the first archeological evidence that confirmed the English colonists had engaged in “survival cannibalism” during a period in which two out of every three English colonists in Virginia died; the winter of 1609-1610, known as the “starving time.”
In 2013, this reconstruction was created, showing us what she may have looked like.
Learn more about Jane and the “starving time” from Jamestown Rediscovery/Historic Jamestowne, here
Jane's facial reconstruction, by specialist in 3D modeling for medical application Stephen Rouse, and StudioEIS sculptor Jiwoong Cheh @jiwoongcheh.
Image from Jamestown Rediscovery/Preservation Virginia
Gustav/Gertrude
Gustav/Gertrude
Oscar D. Nilsson's 2006 reconstruction of one of the victims of the warship Vasa shipwreck, called "Gustav"
Image from Oscar D. Nilsson
Oscar D. Nilsson's updated, 2023 reconstruction of the same victim of the warship Vasa shipwreck, now called "Gertrude"
Image from Oscar D. Nilsson
On August 10th, 1628, the warship Vasa sank. A few hundred years later, in the 1950s, the shipwreck was rediscovered. In 1961 the ship would be salvaged, and today it is housed at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.
In 2006, sculptor and forensic artist Oscar D. Nilsson had the opportunity to reconstruct the faces of six of the eighteen people whose remains were found in the shipwreck. Among these six was a skull that would be named “Gustav.” Based on the evidence they could glean from the bones at that time, Nilsson created the bust of a man in his mid-40s.
New methods of DNA analysis, however, recently determined “Gustav” was actually a woman, 25-30 years old. Her DNA showed her skin color, and that she had blond hair.
Nilsson completed his new reconstruction of “Gustav,” now called “Gertrude,” in 2023. In addition to the updated reconstruction itself, the Vasa Museum (where both reconstructions are on display) has dressed the new reconstruction in clothing that match those found near the woman’s skeletal remains - such as the bright red hat seen below.
Learn more about Oscar D. Nilsson and his reconstructions of Gustav/Gertrude here
Images from sculptor and forensic artist Oscar D. Nilsson,
GIF via Live Science
Learn more about the artist here
A) The skull Wilhelm His determined to be from Bach B) The 1746 portrait of Bach by Elias Gottlob Haussmann C) One of the busts Carl Seffner produced, based on a cast D) Half of the bust, in profile, compared to the skull
Images from the British Library Board, via forensic science researcher and writer Dolly Stolze's blog Strange Remains
Bach
Bach
Although the exact location of the resting place of the famous German composer and musician Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was unknown, in 1894 a group claimed they had discovered it!
Bach’s supposed skeleton was exhumed, and in 1895 a team led by Swiss anatomist Wilhelm His Sr. (1831-1904) declared it was Bach’s. His Sr. hired the German sculptor Carl Seffner (1861-1932) to sculpt the reconstruction, which would be built on “Bach’s” skull using clay, and would be based on known paintings and engravings of the composer. Seffner would go on to produce numerous busts of Bach.
The identity of the skeleton, which His Sr. claimed to be Bach’s, is still debated.
Learn more about Carl Seffner and his busts of Bach from the Bach Museum, here
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