total DISSAPOINTMENT... - Page 3

Greek biographer Plutarch (ca. 45–120 AD) describes Alexander appearance as:

¹ The outward appearance of Alexander is best represented by the statues of him which Lysippus made, and it was by this artist alone that Alexander himself thought it fit that he should be modelled. ² For those peculiarities which many of his successors and friends afterwards tried to imitate, namely, the poise of the neck, which was bent slightly to the left, and the melting glance of his eyes, this artist has accurately observed. ³ Apelles, however, in painting him as wielder of the thunder-bolt, did not reproduce his complexion, but made it too dark and swarthy. Whereas he was of a fair colour, as they say, and his fairness passed into ruddiness on his breast particularly, and in his face. ⁴ Moreover, that a very pleasant odour exhaled from his skin and that there was a fragrance about his mouth and all his flesh, so that his garments were filled with it, this we have read in the Memoirs of Aristoxenus.

Another Greek historian Arrian (Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon' ca. 86 - 160) described Alexander as:

[T]he strong, handsome commander with one eye dark as the night and one blue as the sky.

Many statues portray Alexander in a curved body posture, with the gaze looking upward and outward, so some historians consider these signs of physical deformities, but it is also a traditional art concept of Contrapposto that ancient and modern sculptors often use to signify grace, elegance and social dominance. It was suggested by these historians that Alexander's father, Philip II, and his brother, Philip Arrhidaeus, may have suffered from physical deformities, which had led to the conclusion that Alexander had a congenital scoliotic disorder (familial neck and spinal deformity).

For example, modern British historian Peter Green (born 1924) provides a description of Alexander's appearance, based on his review of the statues and some ancient documents:

Physically, Alexander was not prepossessing. Even by Macedonian standards he was very short, though stocky and tough. His beard was scanty, and he stood out against his hirsute Macedonian barons by going clean-shaven. His neck was in some way twisted, so that he appeared to be gazing upward at an angle. His eyes (one blue, one brown) revealed a dewy, feminine quality. He had a high complexion and a harsh voice.

It has even been suggested by medical surgeon Hutan Ashrafian that this scoliosis may have contributed to Alexander's death, however ancient Greek author Arrian of Nicomedia stated that the king died of fever.

Ancient authors record that Alexander the Great was so pleased with portraits of himself created by Lysippos that he decreed no other sculptor would make his image. Lysippos had often used the Contrapposto sculptural scheme to portray Alexander and other characters like Apoxyomenos, Hermes and Eros. Lysippos' sculpture, famous for its lifelike naturalism, as opposed to a stiffer, more static pose, is thought to be the most faithful depiction of Alexander.