Acrylics Alexander the Great

[Bailey]

I haven't posted anything in a while (I've been busy with a new puppy and she hasn't given me a lot of time to paint), but I finally had a chance to finish this figure. This is a 75mm model from Pegaso of Alexander the Great. As far as I can tell the sculpt is based on the 2004 movie Alexander. The movie based the costume on the Issus Mosaic (see below). The helmet matches the movie but not the mosaic. If anyone knows where the helmet is from I would love to know. My best guess is it's based on coins minted by Alexander showing him wearing a lion skin.

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I based the painting scheme largely on the mosaic. The purple cape and stripe at the bottom are based on the Alexander Sarcophagus. The color in the mosaic may have at one time been purple but it has long since faded. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Thank you for taking a look!

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For anyone interested, here is a close up of Alexander from the Issus Mosaic. The mosaic was found in Pompeii, but scholars believe is was a copy of an earlier Greek painting (possibly even from a contemporary of Alexander).

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[marius'mules]

Nice work. The cloak looks good.

 

[winston]

Nice paint.

 

[Gellso]

Very nice.

 

[megroot]

Indeed, very nice painting.
Like the purple and yellow cloak.

marc

 

[maco61]

Indeed, very nice painting.
Like the purple and yellow cloak.

marc

I agree with Marc.
I like your paintwork precise and clean.
Ciao by Maco

 

[Archelaos]

Very nice painting.

Helmet in film and figure is based on Alexander's Sarcophagus, and other iconography (including coins you mention), though it is not a overly close.

Colours on Mosaic look a bit strange, as they were made to look faded - this is one of arguments supporting hypothesis that it is direct copy of a painting, that would be over 200 years old at the point when mosaic was created.

If you check close shots of mosaic, you would see that the colours could be seen, in shadows. Alexander's tunic is exactly the same colour as cape (and robes of Darius) - tyrian purple.
This colour is differently reproduced in different works of art, but I believe it should be darker and slightly closer to burgundy (it is sometimes described as "clotted blood"). This version can be seen on Mosaic, in shadows. On the other hand on Sarcophagus colour is closer to blue - just like you painted. Paintings from tomb in Agios Athanasios (close to Thessaloniki) show sort of middle ground between these two.

From ancient texts we know, there were different grades of tyrian purple having different shades and, obviously, different prices, so differences in works of art may in fact reflect this (not every artist ever seen royal grade tyrian purple, so they may not reproduce it properly).

Another strange thing is that on Mosaic scales on armour also look purple painted.

Generally, film costume looks like poor man's version of equipment seen in the mosaic, and and there are many other inaccuracies, though less than in other movies, but it still hurts if you study Macedonian arms and armour .