One-winged angel

The Winged Victory Of Samothrace is a marble statue of the Greek goddess Nike believed to date from ~200BC and known to have originally stood in the grounds of a temple complex on the island of Samothrace, then part of Macedonia and now part of Greece. Based on factors relating to the period, setting and aspects of the artwork itself, she’s generally held to have commemorated a naval victory.

Sculpted with an incredible fluidity, the Winged Victory, which has occupied a prime position in the Louvre since 1884, is celebrated as a masterpiece – and yet she’s missing her arms, feet and head. On the plus side, the museum also possesses one of her hands. On the minus, her right wing and a section of her chest are fake, fashioned from plaster by well-meaning restorers back in the 19th Century.

The aforementioned complex was sacred to the Cult Of The Great Gods, whose notions and practices we don’t fully understand. Also mysterious are the feathers of Nike’s real wing, which scholars say don’t match those of actual birds or any contemporary statues. During a thorough cleaning in 2013-14, traces of pigment were found that suggest her wings may once have been painted blue.

Given how the exquisitely detailed, nine-foot body that remains captivates the eye, one struggles to imagine the majesty of the Winged Victory Of Samothrace when she was whole. Where is her head? Does it lie buried? Was it destroyed, by the elements or by vandals? Is it secreted in a private collection? Perhaps it met an ironic end, taken away on a boat that tragically sank, like a warship on the losing side.

Here’s a wild theory that an expert might discount in a second: Could Nike have been outfitted in her heyday with a metal item or items which, as she weathered invisible waves from atop a stone prow, caused her to act as a lightning rod? Ultimately, we can speculate or we can appreciate what is left. Part of me thinks this goddess’ head is lost to the modern world because we aren’t worthy to gaze upon it.