The Winged Victory of Samothrace, a pinnacle of Hellenistic sculpture and one of the Louvre Museum’s three most celebrated masterpieces in Paris.

Key Information

1. Creation Date: Circa 200–190 BCE (Early Hellenistic Period); Material: Premium Parian marble; Discovery: Unearthed in 1863 by French archaeologist Charles Champoiseau at the site of the “Great Sanctuary of the Gods” on the island of Samothrace in the Aegean Sea—by then already reduced to over a hundred fragmented pieces, with the head and both arms missing; Current Location: At the top of the Daru Staircase in the Denon Wing of the Louvre Museum, Paris.

2. Background: Widely believed to be a votive offering commemorating a major naval victory—some scholars suggest it may have been commissioned to honor Demetrius I’s triumph over Ptolemy’s fleet. Originally mounted atop a ship‑shaped pedestal at the edge of a sea‑cliff, the winds would gently stir the folds of the statue’s drapery, lending the work an almost lifelike sense of presence and dynamism.

3. Dimensions: The statue stands approximately 2.45 meters tall, while the overall height—including the ship‑shaped base—reaches nearly 5.6 meters.