The statue of the Nike goddess (MΘ 2469) is the hallmark of the new temporary exhibition “For a flame that burns on [1821-2021]. Antiquities and Memory, Thessaloniki – Macedonia” with which the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki celebrates the two hundred years’ anniversary from the inception of the Greek Revolution.
The goddess is depicted half-naked, only with a piece of garment (himation) partly covering her back, her heaps and her legs. The rich foldings of the clothe come in sharp contrast with the smooth surface of the skin. Although the head, parts of the limbs and the wings are missing, the goddess still impresses the viewer with the vivacity of her movement. She descends from the sky to spread the joyful news of the victory. The sculptor has rendered the moment when she is ready to land. She extends forward her left foot to gracefully touch the ground, while with her left hand she elegantly holds her himation to easy her movement.
This is a classicist work of the imperial period, most likely of the 2nd century AD, which probably served as an akroterium decorating a building’s roof. The sculpture’s provenance is unknown, as it comes from the private collection of Sotirios Asteriadis, employee of the Greek Consulate at Thessaloniki and was donated to the AMTh in 1957 by his son, George Asteriadis.
For the ancient Greeks the goddess Nike was associated with victory in war and served as a symbol of military and political might. Similarly, in Revolutionary iconography, and later, too, after the liberation of Greece, the winged goddess is an emblematic expression of national triumph. The allegorical use of this figure reflects the common and age-old perceptions of the Greeks about the achievement of political entity. This historical experience is expressed so vividly in ancient mythology, according to which Nike had three siblings: a sister, Bia (=violence), and two brothers, Zelos (=ardour, emulation, a noble passion for glory) and Cratos (=strength, might, power). The associative correspondence is striking, if one considers how precisely these personifications and their closely interlinked concepts describe the stages of the struggle of modern Greeks for independence and the turbulent progress towards the establishment of the Greek state.
Date: 2nd c.
Dimensions: preserved height 64 cm.
You may see the statuette of Nike at the temporary exhibition “For a flame that burns on [1821-2021]. Antiquities and Memory, Thessaloniki – Macedonia”.
Duration: 15 July 2021 – 17 July 2022.
