Alexander III of Macedon

"...Alexander sacrificed to the gods to whom it was his custom to sacrifice, and gave a public banquet, seated all the Macedonians round him, and next to them Persians, and then any persons from the other peoples... with the Greek soothsayers and Magi initiating the ceremony. Alexander prayed for various blessings and especially that the Macedonians and Persians should enjoy harmony as partners in the government."
- Arrian of Nicomedia on the Banquet of Opis
(Arrian, Anabasis, 7.11.8-9)
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For this portrait, I wanted to depict the Macedonian conqueror as he was imagined in the Alexander Mosaic in Pompeii. As such, this portrait is heavily influenced by that famous Roman work. I also referred to the Greek moralist Plutarch for his description of the king's appearance—with special emphasis on Alexander's melting gaze, ruddy complexion, and tendency to tilt his neck to the left. For the design of the king's chlamys (cloak), I took inspiration from paintings of Macedonian soldiers at the Tomb of Agios Athanasios in Thessaloniki, Greece.
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I was also inspired by the art of Reimena Yee, whose portrayal of Alexander draws upon other wonderful sources (resulting in an excellent contrast with this portrait) and whose graphic novel retelling of the Alexander Romance is worth checking out!