ROME (AP) — Dante Alighieri, traditionally portrayed as a stern figure with a large hooked nose, is now showing a softer side, thanks to a reconstruction of his face by Italian scientists.
In most artistic Renaissance renditions, the most distinguishing features of the author of "The Divine Comedy" were a prominent nose and lower lip and a generally severe expression.
The new face — based on drawings, measures of Dante's skull by a professor in the 1920s, a plaster model and computer technology — shows softer traits: large eyes, a rounded jaw and a gentler expression, although the nose remains crooked.
"He looks like a man who lived in the world, who had his share of bad luck and sorrows," said Francesco Mallegni, an anthropologist and professor at Pisa University who reconstructed the Florentine poet's head with a team of experts.
The multidisciplinary project to reconstruct Dante's face lasted about two months, using a plaster model of the skull and 3D computer technology and other techniques to simulate muscles and skin.