The "Victory" of Samothrace. (Samothrace, an island in the North Aegean Sea)
For the Greeks, the goddess of Victory (Nike) was a beautiful young woman endowed with wings. This exceptional monument, raised upon the isle of Samothrace, set in a niche overlooking the sanctuary of the Great Gods, celebrates success at sea. The goddess stands on the prow of a galley, resisting the gusty storm, her right arm undoubtedly held high. It was an ex-voto of the Rhodians for a victory won at the beginning of the 2nd century BC: the attitude and the animated draping prefigure the reliefs for the altar of Pergamum.
Made of fine white alabaster stone.
Dated to 190 B.C., Musee de Louvre, Paris, France.