Head of a Hellenistic King

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Between 334 and 323 B.C., Alexander the Great conquered vast territories, creating an empire that stretched from Greece through Asia Minor, Egypt, and the Persian Empire in the Near East to India. This unprecedented contact with distant cultures disseminated Greek culture and its arts, exposing Greek artistic styles to new exotic influences. The death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. marks the beginning of the Hellenistic period. Smaller kingdoms broke off from the vast Seleucid kingdom during the first half of the third century B.C., establishing their independence. Northern and central Asia Minor was divided into the kingdoms of Bithynia, Galatia, Paphlagonia, Pontus, and Cappadocia. Hellenistic kingship dominated the Greek East for nearly three centuries following Alexander's death. Royal families lived in magnificent palaces with elaborate banquet halls and sumptuously decorated rooms and gardens. Court festivals and symposia held in royal palaces provided opportunities for lavish displays of wealth. Hellenistic kings became prominent patrons of the arts, commissioning public works of architecture and sculpture, as well as private luxury items that demonstrated their wealth and taste. Hellenistic art is richly diverse in subject matter and stylistic development. It was created during an age characterized by a strong sense of history. For the first time, there were museums and great libraries, such as those at Alexandria and Pergamon. Hellenistic artists copied and adapted earlier styles, making significant innovations. A growing number of art collectors commissioned original works of art and copies of earlier Greek statues. Increasingly affluent consumers eagerly enhanced their private homes and gardens with luxury goods, such as fine bronze statuettes, intricately carved furniture decorated with bronze fittings, stone sculpture, and elaborate pottery with mold-made decoration. These lavish items were manufactured on a grand scale as never before. This bust is likely the portrait of a king who wished to showcase his wealth by commissioning a sculptor to create a likeness of himself.