CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

The conqueror is here represented in his divinised form as the god Helios, with youthful face framed by thick wavy hair, with seven recesses over the top of the head for the insertion of bronze rays, wearing a chlamys fastened with a circular brooch at the shoulders, with three ears of wheat at the base of the bust.

Alexander the Great remains one of the most renowned ancient rulers, reigning over Macedonia from 336 B.C. His father, Philip II, is credited with Macedon’s rise to power, eventually conquering and unifying the entirety of Greece. The young Alexander acquired his father’s military prowess, and was tutored by Aristotle. He innately developed into a charismatic, discerning, and formidable leader. Upon Philip II’s assassination, Alexander secured his succession, and went about overseeing his father’s unfulfilled plans to conquer the Persian empire. His reign was primarily occupied by a stream of campaigns and victories in Persia, including over Egypt, where he founded the city of Alexandria in his name. Alexander’s expansive empire was heavily influenced by Greek culture, heralding the Hellenistic period, which continued until the emergence of the Roman Empire. Following his death in 323 B.C., Alexander’s biography and conquests took on a mythical quality. He was greatly admired by emperors and generals of Imperial Rome, and his image remained popular.

This bust is instantly identifiable by the leonine hair, centrally swept into the anastole. The crown of his head is encircled with seven drilled holes, into which now-missing bronze rays would have been inserted. The radiate crown is the defining attribute of the Greek sun-God Helios, who rode his chariot across the sky each day from east to west. Alexander was often depicted in the guise of Helios, and their images became increasingly conflated. The inclusion of three ears of wheat on this bust is unusual, and it has been suggested that they relate to the sun's promotion of agricultural growth (P. Arndt and W. Amelung, Photographische Einzelaufnahmen antiker Sculpturen, Serie III, Munich, 1897, p. 37, no. 811.). For a similar example, see the head of Alexander Helios in the Musei Capitolini (Inv. No. MC732).