Winged Victory of Samothrace

As Nike of Samothrace a Greek sculpture is called, which is the goddess of victory Nike and is now located in the Louvre in Paris. She was found in the sanctuary of the Cabiri on the Greek island of Samothrace. The result is probably around 190 BC It is believed that Rhodian sculptor who created the statue.

The French vice-consul in the Ottoman Empire, Charles Champoiseau, found 1863, the fragments of the statue of Nike, which were assembled on site and taken to Paris. An Austrian excavations brought 1873 more fragments, including two fingers to days. 1879 discovered the French base, the right hand plate was found in 1950. The search for the head and arms was unsuccessful.

The goddess is in a landing position; it is slightly hunched over with open arms or wings facing forward. The wings are thus filled with air and pushed to the back, similar to the thin fluttering robe, the only directly on the body easily disappears, as it is pressed against the abdomen. Her belly baring acts in this way. She shifted her weight slightly forward onto the right leg, but generally upright.

Using found the statue probably as Victory Monument, in gratitude for the naval victory over Antiochus III. of Syria. Therefore, it stands as a figurehead on the prow of a ship. The entire statue is 328 cm high, according to Philippe Bruneau, the figure itself is 245 cm tall.

The base is made of gray marble from the island of Rhodes, the statue itself in white Parian marble from the island of Paros. To visit the statue in the Louvre in Paris, just there is a reconstruction of the right hand with the fingers coming from Vienna. At Samothrace, a copy is on display in original size in a museum in Palaeopolis, there is also the palm found in 1950. Additional copies in original size available in the atrium of the Technical University of Berlin and in the atrium of the University of Zurich building.

The Nike of Samothrace delivers both symbolic victory and peace. The statue had a great influence on the historicism of the late 19th century. Produced numerous replicas of the statue, such as the Victoria at the Berlin Victory Column.