Male head (Alexander The Great)
Type:
Sculpture
Year:
Roman work from the 2nd century A.D., after a Greek original from the late 4th century B.C.
Material and technique:
Pentelic marble
Origin:
Purchased in Rome
Inventory:
Inv. MB 157
This head, larger than life-size, is turned sideways and backwards in a typical heroic pose. The facial features are strong but regular, and the mouth is slightly open. The thick hair and locks are arranged over the forehead with the upward swirl (anastolè) characteristic of portraits of Alexander. The way the back was worked – to enable a marble element to be inserted so as to create a conical headdress – suggests that the head was of one of the Dioscuri (the twins Castor and Pollux), according to a model inspired by the portraiture of Alexander.
Masterpieces of the hall
The hall
These two little rooms display fine copies of Greek sculptures from the early Hellenistic period, together with a number of archaic works.
