This is one of the best renditions of this classic bust that I have seen, in person or in pictures. Simply outstanding work. The face looks like a face I would see any day - there's no purple anywhere!! I especially like the red tip of the nose. And the eyes . . . just wonderful.
Regarding the tattoo - I would NOT mess with it. It looks great as it sits. Who knows, now, how skin markings looked 300 years ago? What is "natural"? A tattoo from a clean needle machine, with hypoallergenic ink, or something done with crude instruments, and god-knows what for coloring, on board ship or in some seaport dive? This is where the artist's interpretation trumps the viewer's preconceptions, in my book. Leave it alone - the rendering is very well done!
Thank you for sharing this with us! Don