Victory on a Prow
La Victoire de Samothrace (The Winged Victory of Samothrace)
Marble
The Greeks has the fine idea of portraying Victory as a winged woman, messenger of Zeus: the monument of Samothrace represents the greatest example of this image. In 1863, Charles Champoiseau, French Vice-Consul to Andrianople (Turkey), discovered the monument on the island of Samothrace in the north-eastern Aegean Sea. It is composed of three parts: a rectangular pedestal, a base in the shape of the prow of a ship, and the Winged Victory statue. The pedestal and base are of grey marble from the island of Rhodes, while the Winged Victory statue is sculpted from white Parian marble. The left portion of the bust and the right wing were reconstructed in plaster during the 19th century.
The sanctuary of Samothrace was dedicated to the Kabeiroi, gods who were invoked to protect seafarers and grant victory in war. The monument was thus thought to have been dedicated in commemoration of a specific naval victory. The highly spirited style of the Winged Victory, whose sculptor remains unknown, suggests that the event took place in the late 3rd century or during the 2nd century BC. There appears to be a particular connection with the relief sculpture of the Pergamon Altar, built around the 180-160 BC.
In 190 BC, the Rhodians joined forces with Pergamon and Rome to triumph over Antiochus III of Syria during the battles of Side and Myonnisos. The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the base of which is typical of Rhodian creations, might have commemorated these victories and thus date from a slightly later time. This is one of many hypotheses, for we have no literary accounts or inscribed dedications*.
In the Escalier Daru
The Daru staircase is the perfect setting for this extraordinary display. It is one of six grand staircases built during the Second Empire in the 19th century by the architect Hector Lefuel.
During the 1850s and 1860s, major works were underway to expand the Louvre and make it more modern. The former palace had already been partially transformed into a museum. The emperor Napoleon III had a new wing built to make more room to showcase more art. The old staircase built by his uncle Napoleon I was no longer adequate to access all the galleries. The only things left from that time are the ceilings leading to the Italian painting collections and the name Daru, a minister under Napoleon I.
[*Musee du Louvre]
Taken in the Louvre
Victory on a Prow
La Victoire de Samothrace (The Winged Victory of Samothrace)
Marble
The Greeks has the fine idea of portraying Victory as a winged woman, messenger of Zeus: the monument of Samothrace represents the greatest example of this image. In 1863, Charles Champoiseau, French Vice-Consul to Andrianople (Turkey), discovered the monument on the island of Samothrace in the north-eastern Aegean Sea. It is composed of three parts: a rectangular pedestal, a base in the shape of the prow of a ship, and the Winged Victory statue. The pedestal and base are of grey marble from the island of Rhodes, while the Winged Victory statue is sculpted from white Parian marble. The left portion of the bust and the right wing were reconstructed in plaster during the 19th century.
The sanctuary of Samothrace was dedicated to the Kabeiroi, gods who were invoked to protect seafarers and grant victory in war. The monument was thus thought to have been dedicated in commemoration of a specific naval victory. The highly spirited style of the Winged Victory, whose sculptor remains unknown, suggests that the event took place in the late 3rd century or during the 2nd century BC. There appears to be a particular connection with the relief sculpture of the Pergamon Altar, built around the 180-160 BC.
In 190 BC, the Rhodians joined forces with Pergamon and Rome to triumph over Antiochus III of Syria during the battles of Side and Myonnisos. The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the base of which is typical of Rhodian creations, might have commemorated these victories and thus date from a slightly later time. This is one of many hypotheses, for we have no literary accounts or inscribed dedications*.
In the Escalier Daru
The Daru staircase is the perfect setting for this extraordinary display. It is one of six grand staircases built during the Second Empire in the 19th century by the architect Hector Lefuel.
During the 1850s and 1860s, major works were underway to expand the Louvre and make it more modern. The former palace had already been partially transformed into a museum. The emperor Napoleon III had a new wing built to make more room to showcase more art. The old staircase built by his uncle Napoleon I was no longer adequate to access all the galleries. The only things left from that time are the ceilings leading to the Italian painting collections and the name Daru, a minister under Napoleon I.
[*Musee du Louvre]
Taken in the Louvre