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Alexander: Heracles: A Preliminary Note

Author(s): Erik SjöqvistReviewed work(s):Source: Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Vol. 51, No. 284 (Jun., 1953), pp. 30-33Published by: Museum of Fine Arts, BostonStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4171154 .

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LI, 30 BULLETINOF THE MUSEUMOF FINE ARTS

In 1939,AhmedYoussef,who had been lent tothe Expeditionby the CairoMuseum,completedthe difficult ask of replacing he thin gold sheetsandfaience nlayson a modern opy of the box for

the curtainsof the bed canopy. The inscriptionsgive the titles of the queen'shusband,Sneferu, hefirstkingof Dynasty IV. The boxhas so far onlybeen published n an article by Reisner n the Il-lustratedLondonNews, November 18, 1939, pp.757-758. At the same time, AhmedYoussefpre-pared a reproduction f the box for the BostonMuseum (Fig. 2; Acc. No. 39.746). Unfortu-nately the wood was affected by the climaticchange romEgypt to Americaand had to be re-moved from exhibition n the Museum after ashorttimeandallowed o stand for a considerableperiod o determinewhether urther tress would

be exertedon the plasteredand gilded surfaces.Mr. Young has now treated these again and thebox has recently been returnedto exhibition.Togetherwith the decoration f the footboardofthe bed, of which a reproductions exhibitednearby, this box gives a vivid impression f theskill of the Old Kingdomdesigner. Even moreelaborate are the hawks,feather patterns,andflowersrom he secondarmchair Fig. 7) and theinlaiddesignson the lid of the chest which con-tained the braceletbox(Fig. 8). In the summerof 1952I was able to examine his materialagainin theCairoMuseumwith AhmedYoussefandtocheckthe inlay patternsandgoldsheets withmyrestored drawings. It was proposedthen thatAhmedYoussef should complete he workof res-torationand it is hoped hathe may soon be ableto turnhisingenuity o thechairandchest,whichare the mostrichlydecorated nd showypiecesofall the furniture.

A glance at the photographof the tomb ofHetep-heres when it was first opened (Fig. 3)showsclearlyhowhopeless ookingwas the con-dition of the decayedmaterial,with the wood n-side the gold casingsof the furniture ithershriv-

elled to a fractionof its originalbulk or else de-teriorated o theconsistency fcigarash. Allthemore amazingwas Reisner'sachievement n re-covering the original appearanceof virtuallyeveryone of the objects. In comparison,he fa-mousequipmentof the tomb of Tut-ankh-amenwas n soundcondition,as well asbeingsome1300yearsmorerecent 1353B.C. asagainst2650 B.C.forHetep-heres). TheHetep-heresurniturehasattractedconsiderablyessattentionthanthat ofTut-ankh-amen, artly because here werefewerpiecesandpartlybecause t belonged o a timeofsimpler living conditions.However, it is fullyrepresentative f the firstgreatperiodof Egyp-tian achievement. The fine proportionsandboldly designeddecoration eflect he samespiritas the greatportrait culpture f Dynasty IV,thewonderfulwall reliefs,and the paintingas exem-plifiedby the famousMedumGeese.

WILLIAMSTEVENSONMITH

1-j

7

Fig. 1. Headof Alexander Otis NorcrossFund

Alexander - Heracles:

A Preliminary Note

THE marblehead which is here presented' snot a newcomero the Museum Fig. 1). It

paid its first visit to Boston as early as in thesummerof 1910, then on loan from Mrs. JohnNewboldHazard of Peacedale,L. I., and aftervariousvicissitudeswas again depositedhere byMrs.Hazard'sdaughter,Mrs.D. H. Reese,fromwhom t hasnow beenrecentlyacquired.

It was bought in Sparta in 1908 and wentthrougha preliminarycleaning processin theBritishMuseumin the same year beforebeing

broughtby its firstowner,ProfessorW. RomaineNewbold, to Philadelphia. The importanceofthe head,clearlyenvisagedby its learnedowner,was soonconfirmed y specialistsn the field. In1909ProfessorWilliamN. Batespublishedt2 forthe first time. It was brieflypresentedby Dr.L. D. Caskey nthisBulletinnthefollowingyearand was furtherdiscussedby two otherscholarsin subsequent ears.:3

Totheirdescription f the headthere s little toadd,and a summaryof earlierobservationsmaysufficeas a presentation. It is somewhatunder

life-sizeandmadeof PentelicmarblewhichontheIHead of Alexander; 52.1471: Otis Norcross Fund.2 W. N. Bates, "A head of Heracles in the style of Scopas," AJA,

XIII, 1909, pp. 151-157.3 L. D. Caskey, "A Marble Head of Herakles," Bullefin M. F. A., Vol.

VIII, 1910, pp. 26-27: W. W. Hyde, "The Head of a Youthful Heraclesfrom Sparta," AJA, XVIII, 1914, pp. 462-478; id. in Olympic VictorMonumentsndGreek thlcticArt,Wash.1921,pp.305-320;R. G. Kent,"The BaffledHerculesromSparta,"Procecd. f the Numism. ndAnti-quarianSoc. of Philadelphia,ol. 29, pp. 85-104(later producedn acorrectedeprint,1923).

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BULLETINOF THE MUSEUMOF FINE ARTS LI, 31

Fig. 2. TeiradrachmfAlexander, icyon,330 B.C.

Fig. 3. Headof Alexander Athens,NationalMuseum

right side has taken on a mottled golden brownish

patina entirely lacking on the left. The face is

remarkably well preserved except for the tip of

the nose. The delicate finish of the surface is in-tact on the right half and only slightly weatheredon the left side, which evidently was exposed for

some time to the corroding activities of air, wind,and water. The neck and the back of the head

with the ears are missing, and the breaks likewiseshow traces of weathering.

The youthful head wears the lion helmet, thetraditional equipment of Heracles. The helmetis drawn down rather far, so that muzzle and teethof the beast overshadow the forehead. This adds

to the lively play of light and shadow which is a

V

-UFig. 4. Headof Alexander Otis NorcrossFund

main characteristic f the head, and dramatizesthe expression f the youngface. The intensityof expressions concentratednthe eyeswhichat-tract the onlookerwith a magnetic orce. Theirvigorousandsensitivemodellinghasgiven rise tospeculation s to thedirection f theirpenetratinggaze. They have been variously describedaslookingupward, o the right,or to the left. As amatter of fact, a close examinationreveals thatfaint traces existat leaston the left eye of a tiny

incisionwhichseems o mark he outeredgeof thepupil. It lies, however, very near the center,4and cannotguideus withcertainty n any specificdirection. The heavy, slightly fleshy eyebrowsgive, in any event, the impressionof an upwardglance rather han a straightforward aze.

This is not the only point of discussionamongthose who have earlier reatedthe head. Batesattributes t to Scopasorhiscircle,Caskeypointsout Praxitelean eatures n the lowerpart of thehead and terms t "aneclecticwork n whichfea-turesfromSkopasandPraxiteleshave been com-binedwithanunusually uccessful ffect." Hyde,

still considering t an eclectic work, mentionsLysippus, but denies that Heracles is repre-sented. Insteadhe suggeststhat it is an ideal-izedportraitof an unknownvictoriousathlete inthe disguiseof Heracles,and bases this assump-tion on its clear ndividualization.Even Caskey

4 1 am indebted to Miss Hazel Palmer for this observation.

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LI, 32 BULLETINOF THE MUSEUMOF FINE ARTS

hadpointed o these featuresandheld that it wasonly the lion-helmetwhichhelpedus to identifyhim with the deifiedhero. Kent goes backto theHeracles dea, butconnects t witha localSpartanmyth, related by Pausanias II1,15,3-5), of thewoundedand baffledHeracleswhosneakedawayafterhavingbeenattackedbyHippoco6n, legend-ary kingof Sparta,andhis sons. Pausanias awa statue of Heracles n a sanctuaryclose to thecity wall of Sparta,the attitudeof whichhe wastold had been suggested by this episode. Ourhead should, according o ProfessorKent, be aremnantof thatstatue. His mainarguments rethe expression f the face which acks divinese-renity quite appropriately n account of theunusual ituation-and thedirection f theeyes,accordingo the quotedauthor,glancing idewise

toward he left.In the varietyof interpretations nd attribu-tions there is a generalconsensuson the greatbeauty of the head, the finenessof its execution,and its qualityof being a GreekworkfromthefourthcenturyB.C. In this all importantpointI am in wholeheartedagreementwith the dis-tinguished scholars already mentioned. Buttheirvery discussion notherpointsseems o sug-gesta new solutionregarding othsubject-matterandartist.

Thepathos, he intensity,and the individualityof theheadstrongly uggestaportrait ather han

an imageof an immortal. Its smallsize speaksdecidedly against a cult statue. On the otherhand, t wouldbeunparalleledn Greekart of thefourthcentury o render n athleticvictor,assug-gestedby ProfessorHyde, nthe attireof Heracles.But who could he be? Who among mortalscould in the latterpartof the fourthcenturyas-pire to an identificationwith the deified hero?The onlypossibleanswer eemsto be: Alexanderthe Great.

The deificationof Alexanderduringhis ownlifetimewas a gradualprocess,whichcan be fol-

lowed throughour historicalsources. It origi-nated in the old Macedoniankingship,whichclaimeddescent romboth HeraclesandAchilles,andgainedmomentumunder he influenceof thenew impressionswhich met Alexanderand hismen during the conquest of the East. Soonafterhavingcrossedthe Hellespont n 334 B.C.Alexandervisited Ilium, the scene of the greatdeedsof hisancestorAchilles,andpresentedhim-selfasa reincarnationf the Homerichero. Twoyears later, after the successfulbattle of Issus,Alexanderbesiegedand conquered he city ofTyre, valiantlydefendedby its inhabitantsunder

the protectionof the Phoeniciangod Heracles-Melkhart, he "patron aint" of the city. Afterthe conquest, in 332 B.C., Alexander ook theplaceof the god,andsoon after thiscrucialeventin his earlycareerwe meet what I believeto behis image n Heracles'attireon coins both in theEast and inGreece tself.

I herereproduce coininthe NewellCollectionof the AmericanNumismaticSociety (Fig. 2),publishedby ProfessorNoe afterthe notes of Mr.Newell.5 Struck n Sicyon in the year 330 B.C.,it

shows Alexander's ikenessin

the traditionalHeracles conography. It seems to be the kingportrayedas Heracles,not Heracles used as anallegoryof this early stage of deificationof theyoungruler. The featuresareclearly ndividual-ized beginningwith the two separateplanes inwhich the forehead is modelled. There is anupper lat sectionand a lowerbulgingone dividedbyahorizontal roove. The eyebrows re ratherheavy andfleshy, the eyes fairlydeeply set, andthe nose straight and energetic. These manly,forceful eaturescontrast o some extent with thesofterandmoreroundedormsof mouthand chin.

A personal haracteristics obviouslyrenderednthe strikingly hortupper ip andthesmall,rathersensuousmouth. In later coin issues these fea-tures are eitherover-emphasized rblurred,butthese early coins preserve a truer likeness andmarkat the same time the first decisive step inthe evolution of an iconography hat wastotallynew to Greekart: that of rendering n imageof adeifiedruler.

The final stages of this process ended in thefamousAlexanderportraitsby Lysippus,so elo-quentlydescribedby Plutarchand variousotherancient authors, where we meet him with "hisneckbent slightly to the left," "lookingup withhis face to the sky," with a "liquidsoftness andbrightnessnhis eyes" andwitha "manliness ndlionlike fierceness n his countenance." Suchwere the Lysippanportraitsof Alexanderwhichhave come down to posterity in innumerablecopiesand nliterature,butwhichdonot apply totheyoungAlexandern332 B.C. whenhe was just24yearsold. Theofficialportraitsof that periodare, n my opinion, eflectednthecoinsofSicyonandTarsus. The die-cutterwasnot the originalportraitist, utthe talented ntermediary etween

a leadingartistof the time and the massmediumof coinage.What did the archetype ook like after which

the die-cutterworked? I think a detailedcom-parisonbetween the Sicyon coin and our headgives a satisfactoryanswer o the question. Allthe personal eaturesof the coinimage pointedout above are found in the marblehead fromSparta, only infinitely iner and more plasticallyrendered: he dividedforehead,the heavy eye-brows,the shortupper ip, the smallmouth, thesoftly roundedchin. Volume,proportions,andabove all the expression re the same. The evi-

dence seems sufficientto identify them as thesameperson:ourheadis a portraitof the youngAlexander rom the time between332 B.C. and330 B.C.

5 Numismatic Studies, 6, 1950, p. 12, No. 3.1, P1. 1. The new photo-graph of the coin we owe to the courtesy of Miss Margaret Thompson ofthe American Numismatic Society.

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BULLETINOF THE MUSEUMOF FINE ARTS LI,33

Thereexists n the NationalMuseumofAthensa similarAlexanderhead (Fig. 3), of less distin-guishedquality but still an Attic marbleworkfrom the period.6 It is illustratedhere for com-

parison,and demonstrates oth the facial ikenessbetween he two and the differencen execution.The Boston head stands out very honorably nthe comparisonFig. 4).

Thereremainshe questionwho was the authorof the prototype probablymade nbronze ofthe portraitof the youngAlexander n Heracleanattire,of which the earlycoins and the heads inBoston and Athens give so eloquent witness.Scopasand Praxiteleshave to be discardedor ob-viouschronological easons,andthe theoryof itsbeinganeclecticworkdoesnot answer he newre-quirements f a royalportrait. ProfessorHyde's

stylisticcomparisons ointedclearlytoward Ly-sippus as, for example,the renderingof thehairofAgiasand ofourhead andthey nowob-tainconsiderable upport romexternalevidence.Lysippuswas the favoritecourtsculptorof Alex-anderthe Greatand had alreadymade his firstportrait fhim while heprincewas still a boy. Itseemshardly plausible hat he shouldhave beenforgottenwhen there arose the immenselyim-portantcommission f renderinghe young kingforthefirst ime as a semi-divinebeing. Stylisticanalysisand historicalevidencestrengtheneachother reciprocally. What has been consideredeclecticisms onlythe resultof the complexphys-iognomyof the sitter renderedby a first-ratesculptor n an excellent ikeness,both spirituallyand materially Fig. 5). The Boston head is the

Fig. 5. Headof Alexander OtisNorcrossFund

best contemporary replica so far known, and thus

takes an important place not only in the icon-ography of Alexander the Great, but also in the

studies of the art of Lysippus.

ERIKSJdQVISTPrinceton UniversityBrunn, H. and Arndt, P., Griechischeund Romische Portrdas,Pi. 486.

Accessions, November 13, 1952 through March 12, 1953

Asiatic Art.

Bronze,Chinese.52.1751.Kuei ("two-handledbowl"), Chou dynasty; 52.1752. Ku (beaker),Choudynasty........................................... Gift of ArthurWiesenberger.

53.131. Hu (largejar),earlyHan dynasty....................... Gift of Mr. and Mrs. EugeneBernat.

Ceramics,Chinese.52.1532.Porcelainvase, Kuantype, Ming (?) dynasty; 53.2. Pottery horse,Wei dynasty, sixth century; 53.121. Pottery pillow, unknown ware, Sungdynasty....................... Edward S. MorseFund.52.1545. Pottery pillow, Ting ware, Sungdynasty; 52.1546. Marbleizedcof-fer, T'ang dynasty;52.1547. Potterypillow, Tz'u-chouware, Sung dynasty. Gift of C. AdrianRubel.Res. 52.107. Smalljar, Ching-t-chen ware,Sung dynasty ............... Gift of Rev. FredericB. Kellogg.52.1745. Plate decoratedin Arita style with Kakiemondesign, eighteenthcentury.......................................... Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich.53.132-53.133.Pair of smallporcelain ups,Yung-ch'engperiod.......... Gift of Mr. and Mrs. PaulBernat.

Ceramics,Korean.53.120. Flask-shaped ottle, pottery,thirdor fourthcentury............. CharlesB. Hoyt Fund.

Lead,Chinese.

53.32. Figurefor inlaydecoration,Han dynasty........................ Gift of Mr. and Mrs.EugeneBernat.

Paintings,Chinese.Res. 52.108. PomegranateBranch,by WanKuo-cheng, ate Mingdynasty.. Gift of Miss Pauline Fenno.

Paintings,Japanese.52.1543. Eagles, Crowsand SnowyTreetops, by Kishi Chikudo,nineteenthcenturyGift of MissAdelaBarrett, n memoryof

Mr. and Mrs. SamuelEddy Barrett.52.1544.LotusBud, by Toyo, AshikagaIdealisticSchool, fifteenthcentury Gift of RobertT. Paine, Jr.