medium head of Alexander the Great, conqueror, visionary and tactician

The original, in Pentelic marble, now in the Akropolis Museum in Athens, was created by the sculptor Leochares in or after 338 BCE, shortly after the Battle of Chaironeia.

It was found in 1886 near the Erechtheion on the Akropolis, and it depicts Alexander in his late teens or even at 20, as he would have been during this his only visit to Athens.

Typical features in portraiture of Alexander include the deep set eyes, the slight upward glance, the half-open lips, and the characteristic hairstyle with luscious curls. On the original there are traces of red paint which suggest a base coat before the application of what would have been a rich golden colour. He may even have been wearing a wreath.

Leochares also made other portraits of Alexander at the Panhellenic sanctuaries of Olympia and Delphi.

Strategist, visionary, and conqueror, Alexander III of Macedon reshaped the ancient world not merely through conquest, but through a visionary blueprint for a globalized civilization. He died at 32, so his achievements are even ore phenomenol.

Succeeding his father, Philip II, in 336 BCE, his career quickly transcended the boundaries of traditional Greek statehood to forge a legacy of cultural synthesis and intellectual expansion.

One of his greatest achievements was to realise the concept of homonoia (harmony), an ambitious policy aimed at fusing Western and Eastern cultures. Rather than imposing a strict Greek hegemony over the fallen Achaemenid Empire, Alexander chose to integrate Persian nobility into his administrative apparatus, adopted local court dress, and respected indigenous religious practices, famously sacrificing to the Egyptian god Ammon.

Alexander was also a monumental agent of urbanisation and intellectual progress. He founded over 70 cities bearing his name, most notably Alexandria in Egypt. These hubs were not mere military outposts; they were sophisticated cultural hubs equipped with theatres, gymnasia, and marketplaces. By establishing these centres, he created an interconnected commercial network that stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indus River, facilitating an unprecedented exchange of goods, languages, and ideas.

Alexander also operated as an enthusiastic patron of science. He took with him on his campaigns geographers, botanists, and historians, mapping uncharted territories and collecting scientific data that enriched the broader global consciousness.

Though his life ended prematurely in 323 BCE, his enduring achievement was launching the Hellenistic Age. He successfully dismantled the insular city-state model, replacing it with a cosmopolitan world where Greek culture, language, and thought were interwoven with Eastern traditions, setting the foundations of centuries of global history.

The material is keramin, a heavy, durable plaster polymer compound, with a light ochre finish applied by hand. There may, therefore, be a slight variation in colour from piece to piece. Bases are made of solid dark grey or black marble.

Made in Greece in the workshop of the Semitekolo family with whom It's All Greek is proud to have been working since 1999, and who produce It's All Greek's bedrock bronze collection.