Editing Charlemagne (section)

==Appearance and iconography==
{{Further|Iconography of Charlemagne}}
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| image1            = Charles Marville, Hôtel Carnavalet, statue of Charlemagne, ca. 1853–70 (cropped).jpg
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| alt1              = Statue of Charlemagne on a horse, holding a sword
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| image2            = Bust of Charlemagne.png
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| alt2              = A bust of Charlemagne
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| footer            = ''Top'': Carolingian-era [[Equestrian statuette of Charlemagne|equestrian statuette]] depicting Charlemagne or Charles the Bald. ''Bottom'': [[Bust of Charlemagne]], an idealised portrayal and reliquary said to contain Charlemagne's [[Calvaria (skull)|skull cap]], produced in the 14th century.
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Einhard gives a first-hand description of Charlemagne's appearance later in life:{{sfn|Barbero|2004|p=116}}

{{blockquote|He was heavily built, sturdy, and of considerable stature, although not exceptionally so, since his height was seven times the length of his own foot. He had a round head, large and lively eyes, a slightly larger nose than usual, white but still attractive hair, a bright and cheerful expression, a short and fat neck, and he enjoyed good health, except for the fevers that affected him in the last few years of his life.}}

Charlemagne's tomb was opened in 1861 by scientists who reconstructed his skeleton and measured it at {{convert|1.92|m|ftin}} in length, roughly equivalent to Einhard's seven feet.{{sfn|Barbero|2004|p=118}} A 2010 estimate of his height from an [[Radiology|X-ray]] and [[CT scan]] of his [[tibia]] was {{convert|1.84|m|ftin}}; this puts him in the 99th [[percentile]] of height for his period, given that average male height of his time was {{convert|1.69|m|ftin}}. The width of the bone suggested that he was slim.{{sfn|Ruhli|Blumich|Henneberg|2010}}

Charlemagne wore his hair short, abandoning the Merovingian tradition of long-haired monarchs.{{sfn|Dutton|2016|pp=21–22}} He had a moustache (possibly imitating the Ostrogothic king [[Theoderic the Great]]), in contrast with the bearded Merovingian kings;{{sfn|Dutton|2016|pp=24–26}} future Carolingian monarchs would adopt this style.{{sfn|Dutton|2016|pp=24, 26}} Paul Dutton notes the ubiquitous crown in portraits of Charlemagne and other Carolingian rulers, replacing the earlier Merovingian long hair.{{sfn|Dutton|2016|pp=22–23}} A ninth-century statuette depicts Charlemagne or his grandson, [[Charles the Bald]]{{efn|Janet Nelson considers it a depiction of Charlemagne;{{sfn|Nelson|2019|pp=xxxvi, 495}} Paul Dutton says that it was "long thought to depict Charlemagne and now attributed by most to Charles the Bald,"{{sfn|Dutton|2016|p=35}} and Johannes Fried presents both as possibilities{{sfn|Fried|2016|p=216}} but considers it "highly contentious."{{sfn|Fried|2016|p=516}}}} and shows the subject as moustachioed with short hair;{{sfn|Dutton|2016|p=35}} this also appears on contemporary coinage.{{sfn|Dutton|2016|pp=24–25}}

By the twelfth century, Charlemagne was described as bearded rather than moustachioed in literary sources such as the ''Song of Roland'', the ''Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle'', and other works in Latin, French, and German.{{sfn|Coxon|2021|pp=31, 196}} The ''Pseudo-Turpin'' uniquely says that his hair was brown.{{sfn|Coxon|2021|p=196}} Later art and iconography of Charlemagne followed suit, generally depicting him in a later medieval style as bearded with longer hair.{{sfn|Dutton|2016|pp=27–30}}