A closer look at the Winged Victory of Samothrace / Louvre Museum

Winged Victory of Samothrace - introduction - Louvre Museum

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Winged Victory of Samothrace


Description

An original Greek statue probably destroyed by an earthquake, this work was found in countless pieces in 1863 on the island of Samothrace, in the northeast Aegean. The right wing is a plaster copy of the left wing, the only one to have survived. The cement base beneath its feet is also modern; the statue initially stood on the sculpted prow of the ship. It loomed out of a hilltop sanctuary at an angle, which explains why less attention was paid to carving the right-hand side. The Victory — "Nike" in Greek — is shown as if she were just alighting on the prow of the ship to which she is bringing divine favor. Discovered in 1950, her right hand enabled her original gesture to be restored: with her raised hand, she announces the coming event. Staged in spectacular fashion very much in keeping with Hellenistic taste, she could be seen from afar by ships approaching the island. The proportions, the rendering of the bodily forms, the manner in which the drapery flapping in the wind is handled, and the expansiveness of the highly theatrical gesture all bear witness to the search for realism in sculpture dating from this period. After examining certain stylistic details, scholars believe that this monument might be a votive offering from the Rhodians to thank the gods for a naval victory around 190 BC, but André Malraux was delighted with the accidental mutilation of this statue, which turned it into a timeless icon of Western art — "a masterpiece of destiny."
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Winged Victory of Samothrace - The drapery

The monument consists of a statue of a winged female figure -- the messenger goddess Victory -- and a base in the shape of the prow of a ship, standing on a low pedestal.

Overall, the work measures 5.57 m (18 feet 3 ins) in height. The statue, made of white Paros marble, stands 2.75 m (9 feet) tall, including the wings. The base (2.01 m, 6 feet 7 ins) and the pedestal (36 cm, 1 foot 2 ins) are sculpted from grey white-veined marble from the quarries of Lartos on the island of Rhodes. The darker color contrasts with the white marble of the statue, although a patina has now formed over the whole surface of the monument.

The Victory is wearing a long chiton, or tunic, of fine cloth, that falls in folds to her feet. To shorten the skirts, the cloth is gathered by a belt, hidden by the folds which hang over the hips. The chiton is held in place by a second belt beneath the breasts.

The garment's flowing lines are portrayed with great virtuosity. The fabric over the stomach and the left thigh is shot over with wrinkles that seem to skim over the skin underneath. The light cloth is bunched in narrow folds on the figure's sides, while the front of the left leg is carved with surface incisions to create an effect of light fabric drapery.

The handling of the chiton is in striking contrast with the thick, deeply carved draped folds of the cloak or himation, which covers part of the chiton. The sophisticated form of the folds of the cloak becomes clear when the outside and inside are highlighted in blue and red, following the folds of the cloth.

The himation, worn wrapped in a roll round the waist, has worked loose at the figure's left hip. A large gathering of folds have slipped between the figure's legs, leaving the left hip and leg uncovered. The right hip and leg are covered to half-way down the calf. The cloak has swept open, with a fold of cloth streaming out behind the figure, so that we see the inside of the cloth. The unfastened cloak is held against the Victory's body by the sheer force of the wind.

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