Carved in Parian marble around 200–190 BC, the 'Winged Victory of Samothrace' originally crowned a naval-victory monument in the sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace. The goddess Nike is shown alighting on the prow of a warship, her wings still thrust back and the wind moulding her thin himation to her body in one of the most virtuoso depictions of cloth and motion in Greek sculpture. Discovered in 1863 by the French archaeologist Charles Champoiseau, she stands today at the summit of a grand staircase — one of the most theatrical single displays in any museum.

Exhibition Venue

Louvre Museum

Paris, France