This is an analysis of the diverse facets of Alexander the Great’s image from the Renaissance era through the Baroque into the nineteenth century.
Perceived as the first sovereign ruler of the world, for centuries Alexander became an exemplar for the most ambitious kings and emperors. This cultural phenomenon flourished above all in the Renaissance while extending into the nineteenth century. Early modern monarchs’ identification with Alexander associated them with ideas of kingly wisdom. Yet this admiration waned on occasions. Napoleon was Alexander of Macedonia’s most ardent critic. During the nineteenth century, the Macedonian hero was viewed as an individual who won control of the Achaemenid empire, but also underwent a progressive moral decline that converted him into a tyrant.
The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history and iconography.
1. Literary Preface: “Like Alexander” 2. Imitatio Alexandri: The sovereign of the world 3. Alexander and Fame: The best of nine 4. Alexander and Destiny: Alexandrian emblems for humanist princes 5. Alexander the Conqueror: Issus, West against East 6. Alexander, King of Asia: “Virtue is worthy of the empire of the world” 7. Alexander the Clement: The royal virtue of clemency and its representation in the guise of Alexander in European courts 8. Alexander in the Palace: Scenes from court life 9. Alexander and Architecture: One empire and eight architectural wonders 10. Alexander’s Cadaver: The king beholds the king’s corpse, melancholy and vanitas regia 11. Archaeological Epilogue: A re-encounter at Gaugamela with the Alexander of Antiquity
Hii ni uchambuzi wa pande mbalimbali za picha ya Alexander Mkuu kutoka enzi ya Renaissance kupitia Baroque katika karne ya kumi na tisa. Kwa karne nyingi, Aleksanda alionwa kuwa mtawala wa kwanza ulimwenguni, na akawa kielelezo kwa wafalme na maliki wenye tamaa kubwa zaidi. Jambo hilo la kitamaduni lilikuja kusitawi hasa katika Enzi ya Renaissance na kuendelea hadi karne ya kumi na tisa. Wafalme wa mapema wa kisasa walipotambulishwa na Aleksanda walihusianishwa na mawazo ya hekima ya kifalme. Hata hivyo, nyakati nyingine mshangao huo ulipungua. Napoleon alikuwa mkosoaji mkali zaidi wa Aleksanda wa Makedonia. Katika karne ya 19, mashujaa wa Makedonia walionwa kama mtu ambaye alishinda udhibiti wa milki ya Achaemenid, lakini pia alipata kupungua kwa maadili ambayo ilimgeuza kuwa mtawala. Kitabu hicho kitakuwa cha kupendeza kwa wasomi wanaofanya kazi katika historia ya sanaa na iconography. 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Utangulizi wa Fasihi: <unk>Kama Alexander<unk> 2. Imitatio Alexandri: Mfalme wa ulimwengu Alexander na Fama: Bora ya Tisa 4. Alexander na Destiny: Alama za Aleksandria kwa wakuu wa kibinadamu 5. Alexander the Conqueror: Issus, Magharibi dhidi ya Mashariki 6. Alexander, Mfalme wa Asia: <unk>Uadilifu unastahili milki ya ulimwengu<unk> 7. Alexander Clement: Uadilifu wa kifalme wa msamaha na uwakilishi wake katika mavazi ya Alexander katika mahakama za Ulaya Alexander katika Jumba la Kifalme: Mandhari za maisha ya mahakama Alexander na Usanifu: Milki Moja na Maajabu Manane ya Usanifu 10. "Mwili wa Aleksanda: ""Mfalme anaona mwili wa mfalme, huzuni na vanitas regia""" Epilogi ya Kiakiolojia: Kukutana tena huko Gaugamela na Aleksanda wa Kale