Description
For the ancient Greeks, Nike, a young winged woman, personified victory ; she is represented standing here, her wings unfolded towards the heavens, on a base with an inclined surface. She is dressed in a peplos fastened at her shoulder and tied with a cord just below her bosom. The young woman’s pose, the movement of the peplos and the position of the wings may indicate that she has just alighted on the ground. The rendering of the face is a bit impersonal and idealized (indeed, her traits recall several portraits of Faustine the Elder, the wife of Antoninus Pius), and the large folds of her peplos are reminiscent of the sculptures in the local style of the Levant (Syria and Jordan), whence this piece probably originated.
REFERENCE #
SI_RM_1060
CIVILIZATION
Roman, 200 A.D.
SIZE
H. 21.5 cm
CONDITION
Tips of the wings and neck rejoined, otherwise in fine condition
PRICE
$25000
PROVENANCE
Found in Jordan river valley, Jerusalem private collection
