The many faces of Alexander the Great – Hellenistic History

This herm is easy to identify as Alexander the Great because of the inscription found underneath the head, which reads: “Alexander, (son of) Philip, (king of) Macedon”. Dating first or second century AD, this Herm is a copy of a bronze statue made by the sculptor Lysippos around 330 BC.

According to ancient literary sources Alexander only chose a few artists to produce his image, such as the sculptor Lysippos and the painter Apelles. The originals do not survive, but a variety of copies in different materials survive!

Head of Alexander, Acropolis Museum

It is believed to haven been made between 340 and 330 BC, right in the middle of Alexander’s conquests. The work is most likely an original of the sculptor Leochares, which is interesting because normally official images depicting Alexander were made by the sculptor Lysippos.

Head of Alexander, British Museum

A bust of Alexander the Great, this one is from the 2nd or 1st century and probably made in Alexandria. During his lifetime, Alexander strictly controlled the ways in which he was depicted. He had only a few sculptors who were allowed make sculptors of him and portrayed him in the typical youthful manner: with clean‑shaven face, long hair and a dynamic turn of the head.

Head of Alexander the Great, Glyptoteket

This bust of Alexander the Great, found in Alexandria made from marble, dated to 3rd century BC. Alexander was shown without a beard, which was something new: all previous portraits of Greek statesmen or rulers had beards. This fashion lasted for five hundred years and almost all of the Hellenistic kings and Roman emperors until Hadrian were portrayed beardless.