Victory of Samothrace 27.5cm

Victory of Samothrace

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, or the Nike of Samothrace, is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea.

It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beginning of the 2nd century BCE. It is composed of a statue representing the goddess Nike (Victory), whose head and arms are missing, and its base in the shape of a ships bow. In Greek mythology, Nike was a goddess who personified victory in any field including art, music, war, and athletics. She is often portrayed in Greek art as Winged Victory in the motion of flight.

Nike gained this honored role beside Zeus during the Titanomachy where she was one of the first gods to offer her allegiance to Zeus. The sculpture is one of a small number of major Hellenistic statues surviving in the original. It has been exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1884.