Winged Victory of Samothrace

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This is the sculpture commonly referred to as the Winged Victory of Samothrace, one of the best known works of art in the Louvre. A huge and confusing staircase at this point in the Louvre (the southern or Denon wing) leads you to all sorts of destinations, and thus creates all sorts of confusion for visitors unfamiliar with the layout of the museum. The Winged Victory dominates the central portion of the staircase. Too bad the statue can’t give directions!

In keeping with my desire to show real-world pictures of Paris, I photographed this from behind the statue, near the top of the staircase, in the evening, when the crowds are lighter. Note the keen interest of the several people in the background in this majestic and famous work of art; their admiration is typical of most visitors. Some of them are holding the ubiquitous Louvre maps that are distributed by the millions and in thousands of languages (well, almost) in the central lobby of the Louvre and at other locations. Without one of these maps, you become rapidly lost in this enormous museum; with a map, however, it can take half an hour or longer to get lost.

Photographed on August 1, 2008.