Winged Victory of Samothrace
The artist
Unknown ancient Greek sculptor, possibly from the island of Rhodes.
What you see
A powerful winged goddess striding forward as she lands on the front of a stone ship, her great wings spread and her robes blown flat against her by the sea wind.
The story
Made around 190 BC, she shows Nike, the goddess of victory, and was likely set up to celebrate a great sea battle won by the Greeks.
The style
She is carved from marble in the dramatic Hellenistic style, with deep flowing folds that make the wet, windswept cloth look almost alive.
Look closer
Notice how the cloth clings to her legs while it billows behind her, so you can almost feel the ocean breeze pushing against her as she arrives.
Where to see it
She greets visitors at the top of a grand staircase in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
Fun fact
She was discovered in many broken pieces on the island of Samothrace in 1863 and carefully put back together, though her head and arms were never found.