Revealed: Death mask study reveals 'real' William Shakespeare

A SCOTTISH scientist has helped reconstruct a new image of William Shakespeare, using computer technology to create 3D images of the playwright.

Dr Caroline Wilkinson, from Dundee University, carried out authentication analysis on several death masks including that of the famous writer and other famous figures from history.

The documentary, Death Masks, was shown on The History Channel at 9pm last night.Shakespeare's true likeness has been disputed for centuries, and many experts question whether the death mask used in the programme is even his.

It was found in Darmstadt, Germany, in the 1840s and linked to Shakespeare by German scientists who carried out a series of tests on it.

Dr Wilkinson claimed the mask was consistent with portraits of the writer. She said: "The Shakespeare death mask was compared to the Cobbe portrait, the funerary bust by Gerald Johnson (1622), and an engraved portrait by Martin Droeshout"

"My conclusion was that there were a large number of consistencies and provided support for the assertion that the death mask is of William Shakespeare."

Other famous people featured in the programme included Napoleon, Julius Caesar, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.