Pope Francis has just been immortalized as a wax statue, on display inside Rome’s Wax Museum.
The statue was unveiled December 8, after three craftsmen worked on it for two months, using seven kilos of clay and silicone each.
The pontiff's face has been made by sculptor Otello Scatolini, who also created the face for John Paul II's statue.
''The job is done following the old traditions. You lay the clay on by hand, following your eye and your craft,'' Scatolini said. ''The hardest part is getting the look in the eyes. I got Pope Francis pretty fast: less than 48 hours - maybe because I like him."
Makeup Academy Professor Davide Bracci, a film professional who worked on the sets of horror movies director Dario Argento, cast the head in silicone, adding glass, eyes and teeth, and then sewing the eyebrows and the hair in.
The completed head and silicone hands were set on a wood, resin and foam-rubber body.
The garments were provided by tailor Adriano Taito.
Pope Francis' statue will join five other popes in the museum, including his immediate predecessor Benedict XVI.
Rome’s Wax Museum is third in Europe after those in London and Paris for the number of personalities represented. It opened in 1958. “My grandad was a circus impresario. He took the show on the road, and discovered the wax museums in London and Paris, where he 'stole' the idea,” said Fernando Canini, the current museum owner who inherited it from his grandfather.
