Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

B 135
Posthumous Alexander from Alexandria. London

Heroicizing, over life-size portrait head of Alexander the Great made after his death probably ca. 250 BC. From Alexandria in Egypt where he was worshipped as the city-founder. Originally set into a statue.

Marble
Head
37 cm

From Alexandria. Purchased in 1872.
United Kingdom, London, British Museum, 1857
Third century BC

Preservation:
The head was made separately from its statue and inserted into a socket. The back, sides, and top of the head have been cut back. The lateral breaks or deliberate removal marble converge at the back. The break at the right side of the back of the head has a flat vertical surface. The break at the left side is more organic in form. The small extant area at the top of the head has a flat rough picked surface. Some ends of the locks of hair against the right side of the neck are broken.

Description:
The head, which was inserted into a statue, turns to its left and locks upward. It depicts a long-haired, clean-shaven, youthful male. The hair falls in heavy, wavy locks. This full hair covers the ears completely and falls down the nape of the neck. Over the brow, above the nose the locks rise upwards and then part. The locks that fall on the brow, to the right and left of the part, are thick, distinctly separate entities; each twists and bends in its own individual path. A broad drill channel runs between the hair and face from the area of the temples down to the neck. This serves to give the hair yet greater volume and to lift it off the face. The face is square in shape. The broad cheekbones are echoed at the bottom of the face by an equally broad jaw line. The forehead is high—though its extensive width diminishes the effect of its height. The lower portion of the forehead bulges forward. The eyebrows slope downward and the orbitals hang heavily over and conceal the outer portion of the upper eyelids. The inner portion of the upper eyelid is distinctly defined between two engraved lines and has a high arch. The lower eyelid is almost a horizontal line. The eyes are deep set and their round surface continues below the lower eyelid. The nose does not indent at the bridge and has a thick ridge. The mouth is short from side to side and open. A broad groove, ending at each corner of the mouth in a drill point, divides the lips. The upper lip is notably thin, and the lower lip projects outward and rolls out above a slight indentation. The chin is broad, round, and protruding.

Discussion:
The head from Alexandria in the British Museum almost assuredly depicts Alexander the Great. It displays features that typically define Alexander’s portrait image. These include the hair that rises over the brow and falls in long locks around the face as well as the clean-shaven face with a strong chin, full lips, thick nose, deep-set eyes, and broadly spaced cheekbones. In addition, the head comes from Alexandria, the legendary founder of which was Alexander. The British Museum head does not follow any of the Alexander portrait types (Azara, Acropolis-Berlin-Erbach, or Dresden)(cat.nos. C 151, 154-155, 153) deemed to have been created during the lifetime of Alexander. In comparison with these types, the British Museum portrays longer hair, a fuller lower face, orbitals that overhang the eyes more pronouncedly, eyes that look upward, and a neck that turns more pronouncedly. This image is more youthful and dynamic than the fourth century Alexander portrait types. It is generally considered to be a posthumous image, one that corresponded to Alexander’s posthumous role of heroic young founder of Alexandria and god-like ancestor of the Ptolemies. R.R.R. Smith points out that this sort of image of Alexander shaped the future visual vocabulary that would be employed for young divinities and heroes. The British Museum head was clearly made to be inserted into a statue. No speculation has been made as to what sort of statue this may have been. Nor has there been adequate discussion about the cutting of the sides and top of the head. Only A.H. Smith addressed the issue and his suggestion that it was cut back to fit into a niche is not entirely convincing. J. Lenaghan

Bibliography:
A.H. Smith, A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum III (London 1904) 142-143, pl. 10, fig. 2, pl. 12 catalogue entry
K. Gebauer, "Alexanderbildnis und Alexandertypus" (AM 63 1938) 38-39, 86, no. K9 dates to the second-first century BC, provides catalogue entry with summary of all opinions to date
G.M.A. Richter, Portraits of the Greeks III (London 1965) 255, no. 5e, fig. 1728
R. R. R. Smith, Hellenistic Royal Portraits (Oxford 1988) 62 late fourth or third century head in posthumous rejuvenating energetic form of Alexander
A. Stewart, Faces of Power: Alexander’s Image and Hellenistic Politics (Berkeley 1993) 54, 331, 424, fig. 124 dates the head to the mid-third century, compares it to portraits of Ptolemies