Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics (Hellenistic Culture and Society) [Hardcover]

Andrew Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0520068513 | ISBN-13: 978-0520068513

Alexander the Great changed the face of the ancient world. During his life and after his death, his image in works of art exerted an unprecedented influence-on marbles, bronzes, ivories, frescoes, mosaics, coins, medals, even painted pottery and reliefware. Alexander's physiognomy became the most famous in history. But can we really know what meaning lies behind these images?
Andrew Stewart demonstrates that these portraits--wildly divergent in character, quality, type, provenance, date, and purpose--actually transmit not so much a likeness of Alexander as a set of carefully crafted clichés that mobilize the notion "Alexander" for diverse ends and diverse audiences. Stewart discusses the portraits as studies in power and his original interpretation of them gives unprecedented fullness and shape to the idea and image called "Alexander."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A beautifully presented volume. . . . Stewart's catalogue of Alexandrine iconography is virtually exhaustive, his exegesis balanced and cogent, and his eruditions vast, making this book a classic of Alexander-scholarship."--"Classical Review

From the Inside Flap

"There is no more evocative Greek portrait type than that of Alexander the Great. By exploring its potency and development in antiquity . . . Stewart has made an impressive demonstration of the value of this broader approach to a traditional art-historical subject."--Sir John Boardman, Ashmolean Museum

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 545 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (January 24, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520068513
• ISBN-13: 978-0520068513
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,825,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to merge art and history, March 7, 2005

By 

Suzanne Cross "Bibliophilos" (Santa Fe, New Mexico United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics (Hellenistic Culture and Society) (Hardcover)

I'm currently self-studying Alexander, and I chose this rather pricey book because I really wanted to learn why there are so many images, so many different images, of Alexander that have survived from ancient history. I had read multiple biographies, but there is something about the face of any historical figure that teases and intrigues; yet Alexander's many faces are confusing rather than enlightening. I also wanted to understand why this world conqueror's image kept appearing on coins and many other artifacts for centuries after his death. I rather suspected, however, that I was getting an "art book" way over my head.

This book turned out to be one of the most percipient and fascinating books I've read on Alexander, precisely because Andrew Stewart brings not only the arcane expertise of a world-class art student to his task, but has the important facts of Alexander's life and the conflicting sources about it at his fingertips. My own personal way of making a note of perceptive comments I want to re-read, is to take that paragraph with a colored tab. The whole book is littered with tabs, and I now feel my perception of both Alexander the man, Alexander the man as he wished to appear to his world, and Alexander the man as he lived on in legend and accomplishment, is highly enhanced by Stewart's book.

This volume must contain every single image of Alexander in statuary, bust, painted pottery, rings, jewels, and coins that can be found; it has a description for each; it lists every source in ancient literature in which Alexander's image is discussed; it covers how he looked, how his image changed, how he controlled that image for political and social purposes, and much more. It is a treasure trove for those who want to learn more about this most fascinating mortal.

Highly recommended; I am most grateful for Stewart for sharing his expertise so well that even a learner can find multiple new impressions and a much clearer vision of both the face, and the man.

5.0 out of 5 stars Un magnífico trabajo académico, March 13, 2008

By 

P. Arcos Gonzalez (Universidad de Oviedo, Spain) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics (Hellenistic Culture and Society) (Hardcover)

El Profesor Andrew Stewart ha hecho un magnífico trabajo que es ya una referencia inexcusable en lo que respecta a la iconografía de Alejandro Magno. Dado que la influencia de Alejandro en el ámbito de la cultura ha sido enorme, y su influencia en el campo de la estética de la representación aún relativamente poco estudiada (en relación con otros aspectos de su legado como son los sociales o políticos) este es un libro del que disfrutarán enormemente aquellos profesionales interesados en Alejandro desde cualesquiera que sean sus ámbitos de interés específico. Un espléndido libro para ver, leer y disfrutar.

Prof. Dr. P. Arcos, Universidad de Oviedo (España)