Alexander the Great in Renaissance Art: North and South of the Alps

by Ingrid Alexander-Skipnes

Overview

This volume explores the images of Alexander the Great from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, how they came about, and why they were so popular.

In contrast to the numerous studies on the historical and legendary figure of Alexander, surprisingly few studies have examined, in one volume, the visual representation of the Macedonian king in frescoes, oil paintings, engravings, manuscripts, medals, sculpture, and tapestries during the Renaissance. The book covers a broad geographical area and includes transalpine perspectives. Ingrid Alexander-Skipnes examines the role that humanists played in disseminating the stories about Alexander and explores why Alexander was so popular during the Renaissance. Alexander-Skipnes offers cultural, political, and social perspectives on the Macedonian king and shows how Renaissance artists and patrons viewed Alexander the Great.

The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, Renaissance studies, ancient Greek history, and classics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032324951
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/26/2025
Series:	Routledge Research in Art History
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ingrid Alexander-Skipnes is a Lecturer in Art History at the Kunstgeschichtliches Institut at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany. She is an Associate Professor Emerita of the University of Stavanger, Norway.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction;  2. Alexander’s Ancient Authors, Renaissance Humanists, and Altdorfer’s Painting;  3. Alexander among the Nine Worthies and the Uomini famosi;  4. Alexander in Renaissance Rome;  5. Depicting the Macedonian King beyond Rome;  6. Alexander’s Court Painter, Apelles, and his Fame among Renaissance Artists;  7. The King’s Horse, Bucephalus;  8. Alexander in Renaissance Tapestries and Petrarch’s Triumph of Fame;  9. Alexander at the Château de Fontainebleau;  Epilogue