Canvassing the Masterpieces: The Winged Victory of Samothrace

Magnificent in its symbolism and execution, The Victory of Samothrace remains one of the most popular and appreciated sculptures today. Exhibited in the Louvre since 1864, the messenger goddess of Victory leaves behind her many mysteries and has not finished dazzling us. A look back at the history of a masterpiece without an author!

The Discovery of The Winged Victory of Samothrace

The Victory of Samothrace as we know her today was not discovered in tact. It seems that the goddess originally appeared perched on the bow of a ship. Found in a fragmented state in 1863, her discovery is credited to Charles Champoiseau, an amateur archaeologist.

A cultured diplomat and history buff, he conducted research throughout the Mediterranean region in the 19th century. He made this incredible discovery by exploring the sanctuary of the “Great Gods” on the Greek island of Samothrace (north of the Agean Sea).

The explorer later got his hands on several fragments of the statue that he sent to Paris for analysis and restoration. These additional fragments gave a second life to the goddess personifying Victory. The latter is also called Niké and is not yet known whose handiwork lies at the origin of this sculptural excellence.

However, the story of this amazing discovery doesn’t end there. During his excavations, Charles Champoiseau came across other fragments that didn’t particularly seem special to him. At the time, he didn’t question the discovery of greyish marble blocks. Deeming them unimportant, he left them on the Samothrace site.

But Greek coins that date between 301 and 292 BC give an idea as to what the statue might have looked like and demonstrate why the marble blocks were in fact, an integral part of the statue.

Other expeditions in 1875 added to the statue’s reassembly. During a mission led by the German archaeologist Alexander Conze, the fragments that Champoiseau had abondoned were found to be the ship’s bow – the statue’s missing pieces. Adding these features allows for the winged goddess to reach a height of 5 meters! All of these elements were shipped to Paris separately and assembled on site.

Zooming in on The Winged Goddess Victory

The Winged Victory of Samothrace depicts a winged woman, draped in fine cloth and a chiton that descends to her feet. Her fabric is tightened at the waist by a belt. This fluid dress gives the goddess a light and airy quality. This is highlighted even more by her absence of head and arms.

Made of Paros marble, her lines sinuous are, her legs are pointed forward, wings extended! The white folds of her garment that gracefully drape her body accentuate the statue’s sense of movement.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace: a statue full of mystery

Excavation continued in the 1950’s and 1960’s. During this time they uncovered the palm of a marble hand and other blocks that were once at the base of the statue. Some archeologists hold that there are still fragments of the statue left at the discovery site.

Today, the idea of finding other parts of The Winged Victory of Samothrace seems practically impossible. The fact that her arms nor her head have been found still preserves a lot of the mystery around this statue.

Moreover, the right hand of the goddess Nike raises many questions. The shape of her two folded fingers suggests that she was holding a trumpet, cord, or crown in the hollow of her hand.

However, this hypothesis was swept aside in 1950 after a more in-depth study of the position of her outstretched fingers. In reality, The Winged Victory wouldn’t be holding anything. Her extended hand would instead be a simple gesture of salute.

This goddess embodies femininity, power and paradoxically, lightness. A symbol of leadership, this emblematic sculpture was likely crafted for a cult. Also an allegory of military victory, she celebrates the triumph of an unknown king.

Did you know…

In contemporary culture, the goddess Niké has been given a particular importance. Representative of movement, flight and speed, her name has famously been used by Nike, the American sports brand company.

The symbolic “swoosh” or upside down comma was invented by graphic designer Carolyn Davidson. It was inspired by the wing of the Victory of Samothrace.