Portrait of Alexander II of Macedon, ‘Alexander the Great’ (356-323 BC)
British (English) School
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
c. 1810 - 1830
Materials
Plaster
Measurements
70 x 50 cm
Order this imageCollection
Ickworth, Suffolk
NT 852218
Summary
Sculpture, plaster; portrait of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC); after an antique model; probably London, c. 1810-30. This is one of four busts in the Library at Ickworth that were were no doubt supplied around the time of the installation in 1829 by the firm of Banting, France and Co. of a set of tall rosewood bookcases. The four busts depict historical, literary and political figures from the ancient world: Alexander the Great, the Greek orator Demosthenes, the poet Homer and the Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. The four busts are all different in form and facture, so cannot be the products of a single workshop. In his short life, King Alexander III of Macedon, known as Alexander the Great, conquered huge territories in Europe, Africa and Asia. His heroism and also his acts of friendship, mercy and statesmanship became legendary. The portrait shows Alexander in a form that resembles ancient Greek and Roman portraits of Apollo the sun god.
Full description
A portrait bust in plaster depicting the Macedonian king and general Alexander III, known as Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). He is shown as a youth with long flowing locks, his head turned to his left, wearing a loose cloak. Mounted on an unusually large circular socle. King Alexander III of Macedon, Alexander the Great, has for millennia been regarded as one of the greatest figures in world history, his stupendous gifts of leadership and military genius enabling him to forge a path of conquest from Greece to India. But beyond his prowess as a conqueror, he also was remembered for his acts of statesmanship and occasional mercy and for his friendships. Alexander came unexpectedly to power in 336 after the murder of his father King Philip II. He immediately set out to emulate his father’s expansionist policies, winning early victories against the northern barbarians across the Danube and conquering the rebel the city of Thebes, which he razed in 335. Alexander crossed the Hellespont into Asia with his armies in 334. For the remainder of his brief life he was occupied with his Asian and African campaigns, which led among other achievements to the founding of the cities of Alexandria and Bucephala, named after his faithful horse. Alexander never returned to Greece, dying of fever in 323 BC at the age of just 32. A vast number of portraits were made of Alexander, in a wide range of materials and sizes. The Ickworth portrait is an example of the most common type on a larger scale, showing him as a youthful, god-like character strongly reminiscent of images of the sun god Apollo. Unlike earlier Greek portraits which had always shown their subjects wearing beards, for his portraits Alexander, who never reached old age, was always shown clean-shaven. It is difficult to identify the possible model from which the Ickworth bust could have been cast; the closest parallels are perhaps with a colossal head in the Capitoline Museums in Rome (Inv. MC 732) that was long thought to represent Alexander. This is however much larger than the Ickworth bust and a head only, with no bust section. It is entirely possible that the Ickworth bust was essentially a modern invention, certainly the loose drapery seems to be the sculptor's invention. The portrait of Alexander the Great is one of four busts of ancient literary or historic figures that were no doubt acquired specifically to sit atop the enormous rosewood bookcases supplied in 1829 for the new Library at Ickworth, by the firm of Banting, France and Co. The other busts depict the orator Demosthenes (NT 852219), the poet Homer (NT 852220) and Marcus Tullius Cicero (NT 852221). The busts are quite disparate as regards their socles and, so far as can be seen from below, their modelling. They are very unlikely to have been made as a set, or even in the same workshops, but the choice of subjects does suggest some forethought. Demosthenes and Cicero represent the power of language, as well as politics, in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds respectively. Alexander the Great and Homer on the other hand perhaps were included as symbols of the twin powers of history and literature. Jeremy Warren November 2025
Provenance
Part of the Bristol Collection. The house and contents were acquired through the National Land Fund and transferred to the National Trust in 1956.
Makers and roles
British (English) School, sculptor