Tussauds unveils 23rd waxwork Queen

Waxwork took 20 people four months to make at a cost �150,000 and is based on photographs taken in 2001If Her Majesty is finding all the fuss over the diamond jubilee a little tiresome, she may wish to reflect on the ordeal of her newest doppelganger.Not only did her latest waxwork likeness suffer weeks of having real human hairs individually implanted in her head, she also had to endure the discomfort of having a pair of acrylic eyes burnt into her ceraceous countenance.But as far as her creators at Madame Tussauds are concerned, it was all worth it. The completed effigy, which took 20 people four months to make and cost �150,000, is likely to prove the attraction's biggest crowd-puller as visitors pile into London for the jubilee celebrations and the Olympic Games.Although the waxwork, which was unveiled on Monday, is the 23rd likeness of the Queen, its creator feels there is something rather special about the latest version, based on photographs taken in 2001. "It is extremely exciting to create a wax figure of Queen Elizabeth II and understandably rather nerve-racking, too," said Steve Swales, the museum's principal sculptor. "She was very relaxed and warm and I've tried to portray that, whilst maintaining a sense of majesty. Her expression is soft, as if she is just about to break into a smile."Liz Edwards, PR manager for Madame Tussauds, said that while there had been no official verdict from the Queen, she understood the palace was "delighted" with the result.The secret to the waxwork's perfection, she said, was hard work and a little technological expertise."We really take our time," she said. "We don't have 3D scanners: the way we make the figures now is how Marie Tussaud did 200 years ago. All that's changed is the way we critique each other's work and we can now blow up lifesize images of the person, so photography can really help ? especially of the face. The fact that everyone is so accessible and you've got 24-hour news and photos means you can just get so much collateral now."Prof Vanessa Toulmin, director of National Fairground Archive, points out that the original waxworks tended to be extremely true to life because they were death masks. "That's how Madame Tussaud started ? by doing deathmasks of people who were executed," she said.Toulmin ascribes the improvement in today's waxworks to better materials and techniques that allow sculptors to more perfectly capture "the textures and firmness of the faces" ? and to uniform standards across Madame Tussauds' global empire.But why the lingering appeal of wax in the era of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube?Toulmin said: "We think lookalikes are a modern phenomenon, but it was very much in the 19th century as well: there were Queen Victoria lookalikes and there were also Buffalo Bill lookalikes. There's always been this cult of the celebrity and I think that's what the waxworks appeal to: it's being able to stand up close to a celebrity."The QueenMonarchyLondonSam Jonesguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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