Special exhibition tribute to Victory of Samothrace in Louvre Museum

The exhibition will explain how the statue was found in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the Greek island of Samothrace in 1864, as well as looking comprehensively at the restoration process.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace , a statue of a winged goddess that declares victory, was discovered in 1863 on the island of Samothrace, which lies in the northeast Aegean Sea. The statue was in fragments at the time of excavation and although it underwent reconstruction at the Musée du Louvre in 1880 and 1884, dirt and impurities that have accumulated over the years were affecting its appearance. Its conservation treatment has been a challenge over many years. It took nearly a year to restore the statue, with a committee of international experts taking a great deal of care to avois some of the dubious decisions taken during the last restoration in 1883 – such as placing the statue on an extra block, or (badly) painting certain parts to try and even out the colour. Superficial treatment has brought the original colour back and a special mix including stone and marble dust has been used to fill some cracks.