The Winged Victory of Samothrace

Hellenistic Art (C. 190 BC), Island of Samothrace (northern Aegean)

The winged goddess of Victory standing on the prow of a ship overlooked the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace. This monument was probably an ex-voto offered by the people of Rhodes in commemoration of a naval victory in the early second century BC. The theatrical stance, vigorous movement, and billowing drapery of this Hellenistic sculpture are combined with references to the Classical period-prefiguring the baroque aestheticism of the Pergamene sculptors.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace / Hellenistic Art (C. 190 BC), Island of Samothrace (northern Aegean)
(Musée du Louvre)