The exhibition project "Alexander the Great. 2000 years of treasures "from the Hermitage runs until spring in the Museum of Australia in Sydney. This is Russia's largest exhibition ever presented in Australia

Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia
November 24, 2012 - May 10, 2013

at the Museum of Australia exhibition "Alexander the Great. 2000 years of treasures "from the collection of the State Hermitage. In 2007, the exhibition has been prepared and submitted to the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, in 2010-2011 - in the exhibition center "Hermitage Amsterdam».

«Alexander the Great. 2000 years of treasures "- Russia's largest exhibition ever presented in Australia. The exhibition is dedicated to Alexander the Great, his expedition to the East and the subsequent impact on the Hellenistic world culture. The exposition covers a time span of more than two thousand years, from the V century BC to the XX century.

• Portraits of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II (Gonzaga Cameo)
  III c. BC
  Ancient Egypt, Alexandria
  Sardonyx, cameo
  Source: hermitagemuseum.org

None of the rulers of ancient times is not impressive people such as Alexander the Great (356 BC. e. - 323 BC. Oe.), no image is not copied to the art as often. Alexander the Great laid the foundation of a new historical era. His conquests radically changed the political map of the world, have brought a profound change in the consciousness of Western and Eastern nations. Eastern campaign of Alexander - the furthest in history a military campaign - has led to the destruction of the Persian Empire, the most powerful at the time of the empire of the East, opening the borders of the Greek civilization. The main result was the creation of the king acts cosmopolitan culture, united achievements of classical Greece, Macedonia and semi-barbaric Central, Central Asia and the Near East. Alexander has had an unprecedented impact on the political and social impact on the development of urban, religion, visual arts, science and natural history. During the Eastern Campaign, the king founded more than a hundred cities, established a number of new cults, coined the deification of the ruler's lifetime.

During the life of Alexander was perceived not as a mortal, but as a deity or mythological. In Hellenistic art of Greece, Italy, Asia and Eastern features Alexander can be found everywhere - in the portraits of rulers and generals, statues of gods and heroes, small plastics, private portraits and even in the decorative arts. The image of the great king, which emerged in a mixture of traditions and cultures, long survive antiquity. The life story of all Macedonian entered the repertoire of art following centuries. The myth of Alexander was popular in the works of both "high" and "low" genres: the Western European medieval miniatures Alexander portrayed as a knight-errant, and Russian folk XVII - XVIII centuries - as an adventurous hero. In the XIV - XV centuries in the East, Alexander Iskander - ideal hero and formidable warrior, in the art of the Renaissance - a wise prince. Particularly relevant "stories of Alexander" acquired during the period of absolute monarchies in the arts that flourished in the courts of the rulers of France, England, Spain, Russia. Comparison of the virtues of the ruler with fame and fortune, Alexandria became a commonplace feature of allegory. The image of the ruler who united nations was relevant as the whole XX century in the West and in the East.

• fragment of wall covering with polychrome: ship "Isis." The first half of the III. BC
  Nymphaeum, Ancient Greece
  plaster painted with encaustic coating
  Source: hermitagemuseum.org

main theme of the exhibition - the myth to Alexander, East campaign and its consequences for the West and the East. The exhibition shows how great civilizations met - the Hellenistic world, the ancient empires of the East and the world of nomads as everywhere Alexander went, began the process of Hellenization - everywhere spread Greek architecture and art, the Greek language and way of life. This influence has affected a vast territory from Greece to India up to Mongolia and other countries outside of the known world (ie, the world as it was known to the Greeks). In focus - the historic role of Alexander the destiny of Western Europe, Russia and the East, Hellenism as a global process of interaction between civilizations and cultures.

The first section of the exhibition is the myth of Alexander in the art and culture of Western Europe New time. Among the works XVI - XIX centuries, telling about the life, deeds and triumphs of the governor, works by Sebastiano Ricci ("Apelles paints a portrait of Campaspe"), arms and armor, made in imitation of the antique.

Next, the viewer is immersed in the atmosphere of antiquity, which had nurtured the young conqueror. The story begins with the art of classical Greece in the period before the Long March to the East. Here are exhibited Italic and Attic vases with scenes from the "Iliad", which served as Alexander "textbook prowess." Especially effective colossal statues of Hercules and Dionysus - the mythological heroes who served "guiding star" Alexander. A separate section is devoted to Balkan culture. Exhibits show the way of life and way of Macedonians, weapons and grave goods. For the European audience undoubted interest are the northern nomads - another powerful political force era: the famous burning of the mound Chertomlyk, part of harness. Taken together, these sites give an idea of ​​the cultural, political and artistic environment in which a person has formed a great king and commander.

eastern campaigns of Alexander, embodies the idea of ​​the expansion of Greek culture, the exhibition devoted to the following topics whose sequence following the route of Alexander. Works of art of Asia Minor, the ancient Egyptian Ptolemaic monuments of ancient tradition in Christian art of Coptic Egypt. Among the masterpieces - "Alexander, Zeus" on Gemma IV century BC, Alexander the images on the coins and marble miniature portrait, portraits of the Hellenistic kings Mithridates VI Eupator and Ptolemy, the famous Gonzaga cameo, fresco from Nymphaeum, depicting Isis ship may ambassadorial ship from Egypt to the Bosporus, the works of the Hellenistic jewelry. A small part of the exhibition the viewer with the art of the era of Alexander the Achaemenid Iran. Syria Hellenistic period is represented by a group of coins with portraits of rulers. Many of the exhibits are unique section "Hellenized East" - the monuments of Central Asia, Parthia, Greco-Bactrian kingdom.

Sebastiano Ricci Apelles paints a portrait of Campaspe. 1713-1714. Italy oil on canvas Source: hermitagemuseum.org

In Hellenistic Greek art style became universal - it was perceived by different people, regardless of their religion or the state system. Thus was born and came to life the idea of ​​cultural unity of the world, which was the main consequence of the Eastern campaign of the Macedonian king.

Legacy of Alexander the Great - the last section of the exhibition. Reliefs from Palmyra, dating from II-III centuries BC, show how sustainable Greek influence remained outside the country. This fact is confirmed by the Egyptian papyri with Greek inscriptions, which were made to the IX century AD. On the other hand, the ancient culture of the Byzantine tradition continues - last Hellenistic state created on the ancient foundations of the new Christian world. In the XV - XVI centuries in the form of Alexander Iskander plays a significant role in Persian literature. In the XVIII - XIX centuries' history of Alexander "became part of Russian culture - education, political thought, art and literature.

Curator - Anna Mills, Ph.D., Head of the Ancient World of the Hermitage .

Source : hermitagemuseum. org