The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Marble head of Alexander the Great, turning slightly to his right, eyes wide, lips slightly parted, and long, wavy hair parted off-center, covering his ears. His brow is well defined over his eyes and his nose and part of his right brow have broken away.

Head of Alexander the Great

300–200 BCE

Greece, Alexandria, Hellenistic

marble
Overall: 26.5 x 14.5 x 13.8 cm (10 7/16 x 5 11/16 x 5 7/16 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Ralph King 1927.209
Location: 102C Greek

Did You Know?

Portraits of Alexander the Great share his characteristic anastole hairstyle, parted off-center and swept back from the forehead.

Description

Slightly smaller than life-size, this head of Alexander the Great features a slight turn, tilt, and upward gaze said to have characterized the young conqueror's posture in life. After his death, Alexander was worshiped as a god; posthumous portraits like this one, likely carved in Ptolemaic Egypt, portray him with long hair and youthful, idealized features.
  • Dr. Edde, Alexandria
    Dr. Edde, Alexandria
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 32 archive.org
    Carter, Martha L. Classical Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1961. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 7; Plate 11 archive.org
    Neils, Jenifer. “The Twain Shall Meet.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 72, no. 6, 1985, pp. 326–359. Reproduced: p. 329, fig. 3 www.jstor.org
    Smith, R. R. R. Hellenistic Sculpture: A Handbook. New York, N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 1991. Pp. 22, 210, 219, fig. 249.
    Lehman, Karen M. "Sacred and Profane Hellenizing Marbles of the Late Third Century Roman Empire: Secular Portraits and Religious Narrative Sculptures in the Cleveland Museum of Art Reviewed in the Cultural Context." M.A. thesis, Kent State University, 2004. Mnetioned: p. v; reproduced: p. 110, fig. 28
    Vandenbeusch, Marie, Aude Semat, and Margaret Maitland. Pharaoh: King of Ancient Egypt. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art ; London : The British Museum, 2016. Reproduced: p. 170, fig. 111
  • Pharaoh: King of Ancient Egypt. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 13-June 12, 2016).
    Alexander the Great. Florida International Museum, St. Petersburg (October 1, 1996-March 31, 1997).
    35th Anniversary Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-September 30, 1951).
  • {{cite web|title=Head of Alexander the Great|url=false|author=|year=300–200 BCE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1927.209