Alexander the Great

Look at what this warrior holds up beside his shoulder. A small bronze-coloured statue of Victory stretches out a laurel wreath towards him, and a grimacing mask is worked into his breastplate. The museum reads the statuette as more than a trophy. It presents Alexander the Great as someone destined for victory from the start, close to a demigod. The design goes back to a picture Giulio Romano made in 1537 and 1538, probably for Federico II Gonzaga, whom the Emperor Charles V had raised to the rank of first Duke of Mantua in 1530. The Galleria Borghese attributes this version to Giuseppe Cesari, known as the Cavalier d'Arpino, and dates it to the first half of the 17th century, at least 60 years after its model. It hangs in the room named after Bernini's statue of David.