Skull Duel XV, Canto VI. The results

The saga so far:

I. The passing of the poet

II. The death mask

III. The tussles over Dante's remains

IV. The rediscovery of the lost bones (and WW2 shenanigans)

V. The 1921 anthropology study

In the mid-2000s, a team of Bologna anthropologists scanned Professor Frassetto's 1921 replica of Dante's skull, and made a digital model.

Digitisation

Frassetto's reconstruction of Dante's face from his skull was hindered by the lack of a jaw. The new team reconstructed a digital jaw-of-best-fit. They then used the emerging technology of 3D printing to produce a skull (for the aficionados: FDM, ABS, 0.254mm layers, ~53h print time).

3D printed Dante's skull

Forensic anthropology physical techniques were used to reconstruct a face; the most scientific reproduction of Dante Alighieri.

The Poet

Benazzi et al. (2008). From the history of the recognitions of the remains to the reconstruction of the face of Dante Alighieri by means of techniques of virtual reality and forensic anthropology. Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage: Historical Technical Journal. 7. 10.6092/issn.1973-9494/1262. 

Skull Duel Results

There was a flurry of skully activity and jostling in the rankings; all hail the new Skull Champion! The prize, as handed down in the ancient traditions, is the previous year's winner's skull.

• DavidB 280
• TeemuL 177
• JohnS 99
• PeterB 96
• Curt 60
• MikeW 44
• Barks 38
• DallasE 15
• GregB 14
• RossM 12
• QuinnM 12
• PeteF 11
• Millsy 6
• BruceR 3

DavidB used a Chaos Space Marine strategy to topple Teemu at the last minute.

DavidB

DavidB

DavidB

Notable skullz

There were some units with lots of skullz...

RossM

BrianC

I more than doubled my skullz with these marines

JohnS

JohnS. Magnificent Slaughterloo banners.

PeterB

PeterB. So excited to get these photos the paint is still wet.

MikeW

...and some notable single figures as well.

DaveV

QuinnM

QuinnM

CurtC

Millsy

Skull of the Week

In a competitive field, TomL's skull has an amazing amount of character.

TomL

Skullz down for the Skull Duel (with an optional Analogue Painting Challenge attached). It's been great fun as always, and I've really enjoyed being your guide on the 700 year saga of Dante's skull.

Arrivederci,

Barks