The head and four extremities are missing, though the stump of the right thigh appears to be advancing gently forward. Judging by comparable specimens, the lost right arm should have been raised, and the right hand must have held a wreath. The left hand had probably held either a palm branch or a cornucopia. The goddess is clad in a sleeveless peplos with an apoptygma girded under the breasts. The belt is tied by a symmetrical knot, forming decorative loops at the waist. The garment is fixed on both shoulders with round fibulae. The folds of the fabric accentuate the form of the breasts and appear to fan from the center to the periphery below the navel, emphasizing the body curves as if blown by the wind as Nike glides forward.
The right upper extremity was originally made of a separate piece of stone and inserted into the round cavity seen at the level of the shoulder. Similar holes are identified in the scapular area bilaterally; they were certainly intended to receive the tenons used to fix separately made wings. The back of the sculpture, not exposed to viewers, is only roughly fashioned. The surface is covered by a thin, transparent, brownish, opalescent patina.
Provenance: Buṣrā, acquired by the Museum in 1945.
Era: probably second or third century CE.
Substance: basalt.
Dimensions: H 66 cm, W 36 cm, D 26 cm.
Text: adapted from Weber (p. 89).
Collection: National Museum of Damascus.
Thomas M. Weber. Sculptures from Roman Syria in the Syrian National Museum of Damascus. Vol I, from Cities and Villages in Central and Southern Syria. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft. Worms. 2006.
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