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So what did this guy look like?

Curtius Rufus said only that he was taller than Alexander, more impressive-looking, charming, and not effeminate.  But I've seen such detailed descriptions of his appearance on webpages and even in books, that it makes me wonder if the authors thought they were channeling his shade.  Truth is, nobody in antiquity much said what he looked like.  I suppose they thought enough sculptures existed already.  Too bad more didn't survive, or we weren't more certain of what did survive.  Statuary doesn't often come with a convenient label.  The statues which art historians name 'Hephaistion' seem to me to be of three basic types:  a classic oval face, a wide forehead tapering to a small chin, or a square face and strong chin.  The only thing they share is short curly hair.  I've collected them here.  You be the judge.  Click on an image to see a larger version.

The Alexander Sarcophagus (currently in Istanbul).  The horseman on the left is Alexander and the horseman on the far right is (supposedly) Hephaistion.  (Hephaistion is really in the middle of the frieze.  This is only half of it.)  Late 4th century.

The Getty head; it's paired to one of Alexander.  It's too idealized* to be a real portrait, and calling it "Hephaistion" is just an educated guess.  "Head of a youth" is more honest.  Hellenistic.

Another one of a pair, the Hephaistion "Demetrio" statuette, from Egypt.  Late Hellenistic.

Yet another one from a pair, this out of Kyme.  Both this head and the one of Alexander look a bit . . . odd, to my mind.  Istanbul museum, late Hellenistic.

And speaking of peculiar, the foreshortening in this frieze is terrible!  Alexander (or Meleager?) on the left, Hephaistion (or a hero?) on the right.  That's some square jaw!  Roman.

A woman's dedication "to the Hero, Hephaistion."  It comes from Thessalonike. dating to late 4th century after Alexander was dead.  This suggests veneration of Hephaistion wasn't just official policy.  Hephaistion on the left (square jaw!)

To me, the Getty head the sarcophagus resemble each other, the Demetrio and Kyme head resemble each other, and the Roman frieze and the dedication resemble each other.  Whether any of these is close to what Hephaistion really looked like is anybody's guess.  If I were a betting woman, I'd say the square face/strong jaw, just because it's the most idiosyncratic.

	"Alexander Before the Family of Darius," Paolo Veronese (1500s).  I never much liked this one, but it's famous, so I include it.  Comes from the National Gallery.		By Christophe Veyrier (1600s), this is another rendition of the family of Darius story.  Alexander holds the queen mother's hand, and Hephaistion is behind him.
	Yet another Family of Darius, this time by Charles LeBrun (1600s).  LeBrun did a whole series on Alexander for Louis XIV.		This painting is by an Italian named Bazzi, "Wedding of Alexander and Roxana."  The guy holding the torch is Hephaistion.  In the second picture, he's on the left (the nude guy on the right is a god).
	More LeBrun, "Entry into Babylon."  The guy on the gold horse in the middle is Hephaistion.  It's the same one I've got on my front page		And yet more LeBrun, this time the meeting of Alexander and the Indian raja, Porus.  Hephaistion rides behind Alexander.