Statue of Alexander the Great, called the Albani Alexander
Unknown · Late second to early third century AD (175-250)
A colossal nude warrior nearly three metres tall wears a helmet and a cloak over one shoulder, and his upturned, wide-eyed face with its thick mane of hair is the face of Alexander the Great as Roman sculptors imagined him. The portrait head and the heroic body were carved separately, in different marbles, and were joined only in modern times to make an imposing whole. Look closely at the face: the brows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, the locks of hair and the rim of the helmet have all been recut or replaced, so the expression owes as much to the restorer as to the Roman carver.
The arms, much of the cloak, the right leg from mid-thigh with its support, the left foot and the base are also modern marble. The ancient parts date from the late second or early third century, when Alexander was still a model for emperors. The statue belonged to Cardinal Alessandro Albani's celebrated collection in Rome, came to Paris in 1803 in the Napoleonic transfers and remained at the Louvre after 1815.
Did You Know? The name Albani Alexander records the Roman cardinal who owned it, not the sculptor, who remains unknown.
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