Alexander as Helios

myminifactory

This is my 3D capture of the Skulpturhalle Basel's plaster cast of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston's marble head of Alexander as the sun god Helios. The Getty Museum describes Alexander as "the first Greek ruler to understand and exploit the propagandistic powers of portraiture," carefully identifying himself with "characteristics that had been used earlier for the representation of gods and heroes." The colossal head is either from second century Egypt, or it's a 19th century forgery—artifice heaped upon artifice. No matter that it's not on public display at the Museum of Fine Arts; you can now forge your own. —Cosmo Wenman @CosmoWenmancosmowenman.comcosmo.wenman@gmail.com Alexander Helios, a Ptolemaic prince and eldest son of Macedonian queen Cleopatra VII of Ptolemaic Egypt by Roman triumvir Mark Antony, was born late in 40 BC. As the fraternal twin sister of Cleopatra Selene II, Alexander's twins were of Macedonian Greek and Roman heritage. His mother named him after her collateral ancestor, Alexander the Great. His second name in Ancient Greek means "Sun"; this was the counterpart of his twin sister’s second name Selene (Σελήνη), meaning "Moon".