The Real Face of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Royalty Now

What did Mozart really look like?

The true appearance of Mozart is surprisingly contentious - He’s even been described as the most famous person whose true likeness is the least recognized. All of his portraits look a little different. His family members - as well as historians - have commented on this. His sister Nannerl said that she had “never seen so many portraits of my brother that are so different when seen side by side, but that nevertheless all look like him.”

Mozart scholar Arthur Schurig said, “Mozart has been the subject of more portraits that have no connection with his actual appearance than any other famous man.”
OR
Alfred Einstein, a Mozart specialist said: “We have nothing to give us an idea of Mozart's physical appearance, except for a few mediocre canvases that don’t even resemble each other.”

So what then, is his true appearance?

Let’s start with some portraits that were created during his lifetime -

This Della Croce portrait of the Mozart family was made from life around 1780, and gives us a good look at the young Wolfgang.

He’s also seen here in the Bologna portrait (not that it’s a 1777 copy of a lost 1770 original). He’s shockingly only 14 in this image. His father said his son was ill the day this portrait was painting, and that it wasn’t even a good work of art - but also added that it looks “very much like him”.

Another is this unfinished image, made by his brother-in-law, which Mozart’s wife said was the most accurate image, but somehow looks the most different from the others.

We know some details from the people he lived and worked with. A colleague Michael Kelly said that Mozar was very thin and pale (he was only about 5’ tall), with abundant dark blond hair. He was very fond of billiards (and always won). Drank punch (with little moderation), and was a kind-hearted man with a good sense of humor.

We also know he had large blue eyes, a strong nose, and a head considered too big for his body.

He was considered a sickly child, he’d had smallpox in his youth which marked his face, and suffered from poor dental health and toothaches. His poor health, I suspect, is a reason he always looks much older than his years in some of these portraits.

His friends agreed that Mozart knew he wasn’t a man who was exceptionally attractive, so he made up for it by wearing luxurious clothing, and always caring meticulously about his appearance.
One small indicator of possible self-consciousness is that we don’t see his left ear in any paintings. You see, he had a defect of the left ear (we now refer to this as “mozart’s ear”) that changed the shape quite drastically. He even made this watercolor image of it himself.

I’m going to use the best quality image we have of Mozart to bring him to life - this 1819 version by Barbara Krafft. While it was not made from life, Krafft actually worked closely with Mozart’s sister on this version to create a kind of “definitive likeness”. Kind of like what I try to do these days. She used 3 faithful works as models for this image. Krafft and Nannerl agreed that Mozart hadn’t been painted by the most talented artists of his time, and they wanted to have a good portrait of him.

Find us here:
Instagram: @Royalty_Now_
Tik Tok: @RoyaltyNow

This video creation and final image are ©Royalty Now.

[LemonTwist]

Yep. The smile/laugh, is the most significant aspect of Mozart’s personality. I’m not talking the Amadeus Cackle. Listen to his music, it smiles even through the tears.

[ladyliberty]

I love this imagining of Mozart today,
It brings a tear to my eye- I wish we could talk to him and tell how he has become an icon for all time❣️
Thank you🎶

[larrygraham]

Thank you so much for this lovely moment. 😪😪😪

[tjololot]

He died at the age of 35 yet he is considered the biggest music genius in the history of simply can't imagine how many more masterpieces we could enjoy if he had lived just a few years

[Heatplant]

He is so fascinating to look at! A treasured musical genius. ❤

[stevenbaer]

He was actually composing at the age of 4 years old. That's very extremely talented and amazing.

[ma-kl]

If only we could see him from a distance...traveling in time...to see him move, walk, talk,

[rehannahorcutt]

Thank you so much Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart💗

[CenitYVerdad]

“A curious fact is that Mozart's laughter was the inspiration for the film Amadeus (1984), based on the descriptions of two women who knew him in real life.
Amadeus is definitely a film that portrays the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with many successes, but at the same time with many failures.
Miloš Forman's film is based on the play by Peter Shaffer, and Mozart's laughter was described as "a contagious vertigo" that sounded "like scraping glassy metal." Italian composer Raffaello Rodericci said in his memoirs: Mozart was known for his sharp sense of humor and his thunderous laughter as a child.”

[ChristChickAutistic]

The OG Rockstar, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

[robertc]

When you compose something for an orchestra, large or small, it is a huge amount of work. Every single instrument must have sheet music composed and drafted. The old saying "three months work for twenty seconds of music" still applies.

[mirakor]

Perfect illustration! Oh, dear Mozart we all love you. Our body means nothing, what is important is what is left when we pass away. And your music is FOREVER - IMMORTAL.

[lorenzor.o.]

Lucky people who got to live in the same era as this absolute genius..

[rosagomezr]

Se fue muy jóven😢 Absolutamente un genio. La recreación de su retrato me encantó. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[Christian_Girl]

A brilliant, brilliant composer and musician Mozart was. It was a damn shame he died so young. I've played some of his pieces and I'm sure he would be very proud today if he knew his works were still being performed to this very day!

[makeupboss]

Funny, he actually looks like Tom Hulce, who played in Amadeus. Very handsome man.

[elvisnigol]

Why no Mozart music on the backkround of this video? Can‘t think of any more suitable music than that of his own.

[priscillajimenez]

If they make a film about him i can see James McAvoy playing Mozart. 😊

[FishOuttaWater]

I could see Tom Hiddleston playing Mozart if they did a newer movie. Theres quite a resemblance here.

[davefelix]

Yes, I imagined that they were quite jealous of him. His talent, his good looks. His demeanor. ....after all they buried him in a mass grave....so unceremoniously.