Caption: Dante Alighieri, the man who showed us what Hell looked like, face rebuilt and fleshed out Provider: Cicero Moraes/Pen News/Pexels
This is the face of Hell.
Well, kind of of. Scientists have rebuilt a depiction of what Dante Alighieri, the Italian 13th-century poet who created our vision of the afterlife, looks like.
Dante’s face has long been a mystery, with portrait artists after his death in 1321 never quite agreeing on what he actually looked like.
But now the moral philosopher’s real face will be seen for the first time in 700 years after experts used his skull to create a more accurate image.
Dante became an icon of Western literature with his writing and is most well known for Divine Comedy, a poem which described a journey into Heaven, Hell, and purgatory.
His version of Hell is used as a blueprint describing an inferno of nine circles where the worst offenders are sent to the deepest reaches, and sinners receive ironic punishments for their misdeeds.
Now a new study using modern techniques, such as 3D images, scientists have digitally recreated the appearance of the literary behemoth – and he looks slightly different than we first thought.
In Botticelli’s 1495 portrait of Dante in profile, the writer is shown to have a long nose and pointed chin and a similar image of the writer that appears in a fresco in Florence cathedral.
The man created our vision of Hell (Picture: Credit: Cicero Moraes/Pen News Source)
One for the Tinder profile (Picture: Cicero Moraes/Pen News)
Dante’s version of Hell (Picture: Bridgeman via Getty)
But the new 3D image of Dante shows he had a less pronounced chin, an aquiline nose and without the downwards point he was previously depicted with.
Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes, the study’s lead author, described why traditional depictions of the poet came up short.
‘Most are based on the information contained in the biography of Dante composed by the writer Boccaccio,’ he said.
‘Namely, that he was an individual of medium height, somewhat stooped, with a long face, an aquiline nose and eyes that were more large than small.
‘However, Boccaccio did not know Dante personally and collected reports from people close to the poet and who lived with him. All approximations seem to follow Boccaccio’s descriptions, but we seek to do strictly what the bones indicate.’
The authors recreated the Italian poet’s skull using a 1921 analysis of his bones, reinforced with data from a 2007 article about his face.
A 1495 depiction of Dante by Sandro Botticelli (Picture: Pen News)
‘Two sets of images were generated, one with an objective approach, in grayscale, without hair and with eyes closed,’ he said.
‘And another in colour and with subjective elements, such as the colour of the eyes, skin and clothing, according to the best-known images.’
Dante was unhappily exiled from his native Florence in 1302 and died in Ravenna in 1321.
‘It shows a brilliant man, but embittered by exile,’ said Mr Moraes.
The project also revealed that Dante – who is often hailed as the father of the Italian language – had a larger-than-average skull.
‘It was full of universality that influenced not only world literature but also the organisation of a language and – maybe exaggerating a little – the creation of an entire nation,’ he continued.
Scientists rebuilt his face from his skull (Picture: Cicero Moraes/Pen News)
‘I felt very honoured to work on this; my great-grandparents were Italian and my mother spoke a language from the region until she was 17 years old.
‘Bringing Dante’s face approximation is, in a way, a tribute to my own family’s history.’
Mr Moraes and his co-author, Dr Thiago Beaini of the Federal University of Uberlândia, published their study in the 3D computer graphics journal OrtogOnLineMag.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more by signing up to Metro’s News Updates newsletter
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »