18th Marble head of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), who enjoys great posterity throughout history, cultures and religions, was the subject of numerous works of art from Antiquity until ‘to the present day, making him one of the main political figures in Western art. Most contemporary or original works have disappeared, although many copies were made in Roman times, particularly in the field of sculpture; In the 17th and 18th centuries, Alexander inspired sculptors who were part of classicism.

The head, somewhat larger than life, presents a decisive twist sideways and backwards in a typical heroic attitude. The face, with strong but regular features and an open mouth, is crowned with thick hair with thick locks which, on the forehead, are arranged in an ascending movement (anastole) characteristic of portraits of Alexander the Great.
It was the sculptor Lysippus who, in creating the portrait of Alexander the Great, transformed the physical defect that required the leader, according to sources, to keep his head sharply inclined on one shoulder in an upward attitude that seems to make allusion to a certain kidnapping. celestial, “a silent conversation with the divinity”.

Measures

H head cm 33
W cm 24
D cm 27