WHAT DID THEY REALLY LOOK LIKE? (2018)
The Art and Science of Depicting the Human Face in History

Before the advent of photography in 1839, many artistic renderings of historic people did not always accurately portray their true faces. Some wealthy and influential people, including royalty, had multiple paintings made of themselves resulting in portraits that barely resemble each other. This book examines famous faces in paintings, sculptures, engravings, old coins, life and death masks, facial reconstructions, photographs, and written descriptions to determine which ones are most likely to depict the true faces of these historic people. Includes a glossary, bibliography, and index of names. 130 pgs, 5.5" x 8.5", 370 B&W photographs and illustrations.

Paperbacks ship FREE via Media Mail throughout the United States. Non-U.S. print book orders please visit: Alibris. PDFs are shipped FREE worldwide via email within 24 hours of receipt of your order. PDFs can be read on computers, laptops, and most tablets.

PAPERBACK $15.95

PDF $9.95

REVIEWS

This book is very unique among books about famous people in portraits. The author says, "This is not an art book," but it is. It's just a different kind of art book because it's all about the faces in portraits and not the portraits themselves. The author compares different portraits in sculpture, face reconstructions, paintings, etc., as well as the life and death masks that were often made to use in making sculptures. The reader can see all these different depictions of a face to get a better idea of what that person really looked like. I was surprised to see such significant variations in the faces of historic figures according to who sculpted or painted them, because I had never seen the faces lined up next to each other for comparison until now. - Denise Holder, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This was a very entertaining and intriguing book. I had read the author's book, "Face to Face," and found it interesting, so I decided to give this one a try. I've never seen another book like this before. It has opened my eyes and made me think very differently about how faces are portrayed in art. In fact, I now question every portrait I see because I'm wondering if it's what the person really looked like. - D. Stillsmith, Santa Monica, California

This book was given to me by a friend who reviews books and didn't like this one. I guess to each his own because I really enjoyed it and so did my husband and daughter. I have a degree in art history and I used to be a museum curator. I enjoy portraiture and this book presents only the faces in portraits, laid out in such a way that you can see the similarities as well as the differences in how the artist painted or sculpted them. I thought the comparisons of paintings, sculptures, and photographs with life/death masks was very revealing as to the accuracy of the art. This is a great little book and is certainly one of a kind. - Lisa G., New York, New York