Scientist makes a facial representation of Dom Pedro 1st – 03/07/2023 – Science

First emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro 1º (1798-1834) just won a new facial representation, based on a multidisciplinary investigation that involved the processing of around 20,000 computed tomography images, in addition to a series of medical, dental and other sources.

Empresses Leopoldina (1797-1826) and Amelia (1812-1873) also had their appearance digitally represented.

The person responsible for the work is archaeologist and historian Valdirene Ambiel, who included the so-called visual approximation of the imperial family as part of her doctoral thesis at the USP Faculty of Medicine, approved this Tuesday (7).

“Facial approximation is a meticulous correlation between bones and muscles”, explains the researcher. “First of all, you have to study the anatomy a lot”, she says, noting that this type of work requires “the greatest possible amount of images”.

The analysis of Dom Pedro’s craniofacial structure identified that he had an elongated face, with a short upper lip and a “droopy” eye pattern, probably with deep dark circles under his eyes. The emperor also had a deviated septum which hindered his breathing.

Dental analysis of the author of the Ipiranga cry also revealed some curious characteristics, such as the habit of chewing mainly on the right side of the mouth. He had almost all of his teeth in good condition, with no caries lesions, which suggests that he had good oral hygiene. The fact that he has two teeth with metal restorations, probably made of gold, shows his access to a dentist.

Amélia, who died aged 60, had only five teeth in her mouth, which may have meant difficulties in eating. The empress’s body, however, was well preserved, including some soft tissues.

The work showed that Empress Leopoldina had asymmetrical jaw bones, with characteristics that normally give a protuberant chin to her physiognomy, with lower teeth passing in front of the upper ones.

Ambiel points out that, despite the richness of the material, it was essential to extrapolate the analysis of the mortal remains and the clothing and props used in the burial.

“No matter how similar human beings are, even between twins there is some kind of difference. This happens for different reasons. For example, even our way of speaking and our habits have an influence [na aparência]”, she says.

In order to be able to identify the details that could influence the look of those represented, the scientist studied everything from the eating and sporting habits of the monarchs to their health history and that of their parents and grandparents.

The research includes the analysis of 96 images of lithographs and other art of emperors, from childhood to death.

“Based on these images and with the use of forensic techniques, it was possible to see identifying details: eyebrows; hair and cartilage characteristics, such as ears, in addition to the use of historical information about physical characteristics: hair and eye color, complexion”, says work.

The end result shows the members of the imperial family looking as they did about a year before their death. The close-up shows the busts of the monarchs, wearing the clothes used in the burial.

Dom Pedro 1st was represented in the uniform of a Lusitanian general. Amelia was depicted wearing a black dress and a veil.

The Empress Leopoldina appears with the costume used in her husband’s coronation. The tomography images made it possible to recreate part of the dress, but the design of the sash around her bust was based on a lithograph, since the original fabric had already lost its pigmentation.

The doctoral thesis was reviewed by several professionals to validate medical and dental aspects, among other details.

The computer graphics work, which gave life to the scientific material produced, was in charge of the visual artist Rodrigo Sanches Avila.

The incorporation of details in the images, such as the arrangement of facial hair and skin texture, was done very carefully, as illustrated by the work recreating the embroidery on Amélia’s veil. “The veil’s embroidery (…) was made one by one. In general terms, it’s as if the professional were embroidering manually, obviously in this case digitally.”

Although all the images demanded dedication, Dom Pedro’s approach was the most laborious, according to the researcher. “This is due to the conditions in which the remains were, completely disjointed.”

Ambiel points out that the conditions in which the bones were found show the lack of care with the transport and storage of the monarch’s remains over the years.

With her master’s thesis, defended in 2013, Valdirene Ambiel became the first scientist to conduct a detailed study of the remains of the Brazilian imperial family.

For her research, she could have access to the bodies of the royal trio, who are buried in the Monument to Independence, in São Paulo. The material underwent chemical and physical analysis and imaging tests.

In addition to being a pioneer, the work had great repercussions due to its various findings, including the absence of a fracture in Leopoldina’s femur. Despite the lack of official documentation, some historians claimed that the empress died of complications after being pushed down a staircase by Dom Pedro.

Part of the vast material produced in the master’s degree, including thousands of computed tomography images, has now been used in the doctorate.

The researcher chose to defend the thesis after the celebrations of the bicentennial of Brazilian Independence, celebrated last September 7, to avoid political exploitation of the occasion. “Enough of them being used by Brazilian politics.”

The archaeologist also says that she wanted to give more meaning to the biography of d. Amélia, who has no direct interference in the Independence process.

“D. Amélia was 10 years old in 1822. As she is already an empress who has a lesser known history in Brazil, she would be even more ‘forgotten’, within a context that she has nothing to do with”, he completes.