An uplifting sight
The Louvre’s Masterpieces
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
Standing at the top of the Daru staircase, The Winged Victory of Samothrace is a timeless icon of Western art. The monument was found on the island of Samothrace, in the sanctuary of the ‘Great Gods’ to whom people prayed for protection from the dangers of the sea. The figure, spectacularly placed in a rock niche high above the sanctuary, was designed to be seen in three-quarter view from the left – a view which highlights the billowing cloak and clinging ‘wet drapery’. The wings, the warship, the sanctuary… all point to the goddess Nike, the messenger of victory.
From discovery to fame
In the 19th century, a French diplomat came upon some fragments of a statue. He identified them as elements of a Victory and had them shipped to the Louvre. The monument was painstakingly pieced together – without its wings – and exhibited to the public, who showed no great interest. Ten years later, archaeologists came to realise that the pieces of grey marble found near the statue had originally formed a ship. So the statue underwent a second restoration, from which it emerged with its monumental base and wings – and that changed everything! The Winged Victory became one of the Louvre’s most popular exhibits. In 2014, following an eighteen-month conservation and cleaning project, the Victory and her warship reappeared in a new and even brighter light!