If you didn't know who the goddess Niké was before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, you now don't have to! This Greek goddess of victory, used by a famous shoe brand, was present on the medals given to the athletes, as she always has been. But we also got to see her at the closing ceremony, in the guise of the well-known sculpture of The Victory of Samothrace.
The latter is an iconic piece in the Musée du Louvre, discovered in 1863 by Charles Champoiseau in the sanctuary on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It was sent to the Paris museum for initial restoration work, before being displayed in the Grand Escalier of the Aile Denon.
According to legend, the Victory of Samothrace monument, consisting of a statue of a winged goddess whose head and arms are missing, and a base in the shape of a ship's prow resting on a low plinth, was offered to the great gods of Samothrace following a naval victory.
If you've never noticed, you can also see the goddess Niké perched on the Pont Alexandre III, on the left-hand column, on the Eiffel Tower side. In the hand of the sculpture of La France de Louis XIV, by Laurent Honoré Marqueste, we find a small golden Victoire, dressed in a long draped gown, holding a laurel wreath and the palm of triumph, once offered to the winners of the circus games.
Location
Louvre Museum
musée du louvre
75001 Paris 1
Access
Metro Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre
