 For instance, rulers coming after Alexander the Great copied his distinct hairstyle and intense gaze in their own portraits.This was commonly practiced to suggest their likeness to them in character and their legitimacy to rule; in short, these fictitious additions were meant to persuade their subjects that they would be as great and powerful a leader as the previous ruler had been, even if they did not see eye to eye on all issues.Choosing to proudly display imperfections in portraiture was an early departure from the idealistic tradition handed down from the Greeks.