Mystery of Bach's skeleton solved? Scientists reveal true face behind controversial remains
The skeleton had a face that's a dead ringer for history's best composer
A SKELETON controversially claimed to belong to history’s greatest composer could be the real deal, after scientists rebuilt a face from the skull and revealed a close likeness to the genius.
Though respected by his peers, Johann Sebastian Bach was not famous in his lifetime, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Leipzig, Germany, after he died in 1750.
But his star would rise posthumously, and he’s now esteemed as perhaps the greatest composer ever, ranked first by Classic FM in 2023, ahead of even Mozart.
A skeleton said to be his was discovered in 1894, yet it remains controversial, with a 2009 study concluding it was “unlikely” to be the composer’s.
But now, using the skull, scientists have rebuilt the skeleton’s face, revealing it to be “significantly compatible” with a painting of Bach in life.
Cicero Moraes, lead author of the new study, said: “I never expect there to be much compatibility between a painting and an approximation.
“This is due to varied factors, including the painter's style, margin of error in relation to the original structure, and the possibility of the person portrayed not being who they imagine themselves to be.
“But in this case, surprisingly, the approximation was significantly compatible with the portrait.”
Mr Moraes, a Brazilian graphics expert who’s prolific in the field of forensic facial reconstruction, warned that it could just be a coincidence, however.
He said: “Does this mean that the skull was actually Bach's?
“Unfortunately not, as facial approximation is not an identification process, but a recognition process that can lead to subsequent identification.
“It could just be a coincidence, we will only be sure with additional data, such as DNA testing.”
He added: “For now, what we know is that the skull has characteristics that resemble the painting attributed to Bach.
“Also, the anthropological and historical data – position of the burial and coffin of oak – are compatible with that of the composer at the time of death.”
The new reconstruction began by creating a 3D model of the skull, using detailed data published in 1895, shortly after the skeleton’s discovery.
Two approaches were then combined to give an objective recreation of the face.
For the first, the likely thickness of soft tissue was plotted at different points of the skull, guided by data gathered from living donors.
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The second technique, anatomical deformation, involves virtually adjusting the face and skull of a living donor to match the dimensions of the Bach skeleton, revealing a likely face.
Cicero said: “The approximation process is independent and we must take into account that the remains may belong to another person.
“This is precisely why we created the objective facial approximation, the one with the eyes closed, without facial hair and in grayscale.”
With the objective face completed, the team could then add subjective elements like skin tone, and eye and hair colour.
For these, they were guided by a portrait of Bach from his lifetime, painted by Elias Gottlob Haussmann in 1746.
The finished face was also assessed for its compatibility with this painting.
Mr Moraes said the reconstruction revealed “a simple man who was comfortable with his life”.
He added: “We know that our technique works, as we have already worked on forensic cases with the police.
“In addition, we use part of the methodology in surgical planning and for the creation of facial prosthetics.
“But facial approximation itself is not used for identification but recognition – that is made by DNA or by analysing dental arches, for example.
“In other words, it may be that a skull is very compatible with a person portrayed, but it does not belong to that person, it is just a case of volumetric compatibility.”
But if it is the real Bach, that’s thrilling for Cicero.
He said: “Personally, I feel very honoured, because for a year now I have been listening almost exclusively to classical music.
“Despite not having received the recognition he has today during his lifetime, Bach is considered by many experts to be the greatest composer of all time.”
The 2009 Dutch study that casts doubt on the identity of the Bach skeleton concluded: “Based on the available evidence, we believe it is unlikely that the the skeleton in question is that of Bach.
“The site of Bach’s grave was based on a doubtful oral tradition, and the value of the coffin being made of oak seems overestimated.”
Bach, who had been going blind prior to his death, died shortly after botched eye surgery performed by British eye surgeon John Taylor.
Taylor is now remembered as a shameless self-promoter and quack, blamed for blinding not just Bach, but also George Frideric Handel and perhaps hundreds of others.
The multinational team behind the new study includes Mr Moraes, Thiago Beaini of the University of Uberlândia in Brazil, and Italian archaeologists Luca and Alessandro Bezzi.
They published their study in the journal OrtogOnLineMag.