Marble portrait of Alexander the Great
Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC
Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt
Youthful image of the conqueror king
Literary sources tell us, though perhaps not reliably, that
Alexander (reigned 336-323 BC) chose only a few artists to produce
his image, and famous names such as the sculptor Lysippos and the
painter Apelles were associated with his portraiture. Though none
of the famous images have been recovered, many sculptures in
different materials, as well as portraits on gemstones and coins,
survive. These were mostly produced long after Alexander's death
and while the portraits follow similar general characteristics,
they also vary in style.
Alexander was always shown clean-shaven, which was an
innovation: all previous portraits of Greek statesmen or rulers had
beards. This royal fashion lasted for almost five hundred years and
almost all of the Hellenistic kings and Roman emperors until
Hadrian were portrayed beardless. Alexander was the first king to
wear the all-important royal diadem, a band of cloth tied around
the hair that was to become the symbol of Hellenistic kingship.
Earlier portraits of Alexander, in heroic style, look more
mature than the portraits made after his death, such as this
example. These show a more youthful, though perhaps more god-like
character. He has longer hair, a more dynamic tilt of the head and
an upward gaze, resembling his description in literary sources.
This head was acquired in Alexandria, the city founded by
Alexander in 331 BC, and the location of his tomb. Alexandria was
also the capital of the longest surviving Hellenistic dynasty, the
Ptolemies. From the time of the reign of Ptolemy I Soter
('Saviour') (305-282 BC), Alexander was worshipped as a god and the
forefather of the dynasty.
J.J. Pollitt, Art in the Hellenistic age (Cambridge University Press, 1986)
A.H. Smith, A catalogue of sculpture in -1, vol. 2 (London, British Museum, 1900)
R. Lane Fox, Alexander the Great (Penguin, 1994)
R.R.R.Smith, Hellenistic sculpture (London, Thames and Hudson, 1991)