A 16th-Century Anamorphosis: 3D Simulation of Mary Queen of Scots' Ominous Portrait
2025-05-20
While researching logarithms, the author stumbled upon a 1580 anamorphosis portrait of Mary Queen of Scots. The painting uses perspective trickery; viewing it from different angles transforms the image from Mary's face into a skull. Using WebGL, the author reconstructed the painting in 3D from two differently-angled images, creating an interactive simulation that showcases this visual transformation. Created years before her execution, the painting's symbolism is intriguing.