Richard III – really, Leicester? Really?

One of these photos obviously pictures a bad waxwork from an Edwardian, end-of-pier, waxwork museum, whereas the other features a male model, dressed as a bad waxwork from an Edwardian, end-of-pier, waxwork museum, posing against a photo of exactly the same background. But can you guess which is which? As alike as two peas in a pod, they are both supposed to represent King Richard III, whose bones were ceremoniously reinterred at Leicester cathedral on March 26th this year. So what did he really look like? We ask you.

Portrait of King Richard III

Killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the king’s remains were discovered lying in a state, rather than in state, under a car park in the city, almost three years ago.

If the Mayor of Leicester invited you to choose which of the two images would best represent King Richard III and the City of Leicester, which would you choose as being the the most lifelike? Though one choice is recommended, you are allowed two choices, even if they cancel each other out, as it will have the effect of constituting the choice of having second thoughts about your first choice. Three choices will count as only one choice. Four will leave you with the added option of having chosen nothing at all, despite the extra effort involved.

For those who don’t have a clue, here are some photos of a sculpture of Richard III, supposedly based on the actual skull excavated. In my opinion, it is too rather heavily influenced by a series of amateurish portraits of the king, most of which appear to be copies of copies, as can clearly be seen in this link here.

Copyright © 2015 Bryan Hemming

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