“The Winged Victory of Samothrace” is a depiction of the Greek goddess Nike, the personification of victory in military battles and competitions, including contests of athletics and the arts. She was widely venerated in antiquity and known as Victoria by the Romans. This divine embodiment of victory can be seen throughout the classical world in diverse media, including sculpture, painting, jewelry, and coins.
The Fragmented Nike
“Winged Victory” was found on Samothrace, a rocky island in the northern Aegean Sea near Turkey’s Dardanelles Strait. It was situated on a hillside that overlooked the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, an ancient complex of a dozen temples that drew pilgrims from throughout the region. The statue was originally placed at a significant height so that it could be easily seen by visitors at a distance, likely from the sea, as well. The Louvre installed the work at the top of the Daru staircase to evoke this condition.
While the sculptor remains unknown, the fact that the work’s exact original location is identifiable is unusual for ancient Greek statues. Scholars believe it was created to commemorate a naval victory, but the specific battle is unknown. Centuries after its creation, it fell from its pedestal and was broken in several places. It remained lost to the world until it was unearthed in 1863.
The French diplomat and amateur archeologist Charles Champoiseau (1830–1909) discovered “Winged Victory” in 110 fragments. The statue was transported to Paris and reassembled according to 19th-century restoration criteria. Indeed, the entire right wing, whose original state can only be gleaned from recently discovered bits, is made of plaster. It was created symmetrical to the uncovered left wing. Conservators and curators wouldn’t undertake such a measure today, but the Museum decided to retain it.
A subsequent dig in the 1870s yielded the statue’s base, composed of a plinth and the rendering of a prow of a warship in grey Rhodes marble. However, Nike’s head and arms have never been found.
The resultant, larger-than-life figure is draped in a diaphanous, clinging chiton with exquisitely feathered wings. It exemplifies the characteristics of Hellenistic art with its emphasis on movement through drapery and pose.
Limited remains of the right hand of “Winged Victory” have been uncovered—the thumb and partial ring finger in 1875 and the remainder of the ring finger and palm in 1950. Measuring over 10 1/2 inches long, the right hand is positioned in a sign of victory, with the palm turned upward. These discoveries provided vital information to specialists, who originally thought the figure of Nike carried something in her hand, such as a laurel wreath, palm branch, or trumpet, since many representations of the goddess include these attributes.
Anniversary Restoration
Starting in 2013, the Louvre embarked on a 18-month restoration project of “Winged Victory,” was timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of her discovery. The sizable budget was 4 million euros ($4.1 million). A quarter of it was crowd-funded, the first time such a campaign had been undertaken at the Louvre for a restoration effort.The marbles had become dingy from the buildup of dust and dirt. The undertaking returned the figure to her original white hue. Bonna Wescoat, an Emory University archaeologist who excavates at Samothrace, was instrumental in the restoration mission. She said, “The statue has gone from being a dark, kind of mustard-y brown to being a beautiful translucent white. When the light from the windows came into the room where the Louvre conservators were restoring her, you could see right through parts of the statue. It just glows; it’s remarkable.”
The restorers did additional important work. They incorporated seven fragments from the statue that were part of the Louvre’s collection. Other recently discovered pieces, including parts from the ship’s prow and the original right wing, remain on display in Samothrace. However, fragments from the island, specifically the marble ship pieces, were three-dimensionally scanned, printed, and integrated into the restoration. One of the restoration’s most charming details is that the team uncovered a sculptured curl of hair around Nike’s neck that had been obscured by plaster since the 1800s.
Enduring questions remain—was Nike originally situated in an enclosed space, or did she preside over the Sanctuary without a shelter, her wings fully exposed to the Aegean winds? Intriguingly, the main feathers of the statue are different than those in other ancient Greek artworks and even actual Mediterranean birds. Wescoat believes that the missing right wing differed greatly from the known left. She theorizes it was designed to reflect the effects of wind blowing on real feathers.
The 2,215-year-old “Winged Victory” is a masterpiece, one of the most famous sculptures to survive from ancient Greece. While it isn’t fully intact, that doesn’t detract from its eternal beauty and mystery. The image of Nike remains an important part of our visual culture. The goddess is featured on many Olympic medals in the 20th and 21st centuries, including the recent ones made for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The medals’ obverse depicts Nike in the foreground amidst Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium, the Acropolis, and the Eiffel Tower. Nike reigns triumphant on these medals, just like “The Winged Victory of Samothrace” at the Louvre.
