Winged Victory of Samothrace
Artiste inconnu
The main fragments of the Victory of Samothrace were discovered by amateur archaeologist Charles Champoiseau in 1863 in Samothrace. Following this first discovery, several excavation campaigns have uncovered other fragments, and four restoration campaigns, the last of which was completed in June 2014, have allowed the gradual reconstruction of this giant puzzle.
It is a statue of Nike, i.e. a personification of victory as a winged goddess descending to earth to honour the winner of a battle. In gratitude for a victory, it was common in Greece to have the goddess of victory represented in this way. These thank-you offerings are called "ex voto". Since the goddess is placed on the front of a warship, it is assumed that the Winged Victory of Samothrace was carved following the victory of a naval battle.