Nike of Auranitis

 

The attached photo features one of numerous Victory statues (1) currently on display in the National Museum of Damascus.

The head and neck are missing. A beaded necklace surrounds the upper chest, and a large round medallion hangs from the pendant. The upper extremities are amputated at the level of the shoulder joint. The wings are absent. The goddess is clad in an ungirded peplos. The right breast is bare. The folds of the fabric accentuate the form of the left breast radiating from the nipple outwards. The folds appear to fan from the center to the periphery below the waist, emphasizing the body curves as if blown by the wind as Nike glides forward. The drapery of the garment with the sickle-shaped folds sticks to the front of the lower extremities and flies backward as if fluttering in the wind. The feet are missing.

Provenance: Hauran. 

Era: circa second century CE. 

Substance: basalt. 

Dimensions: not provided. 

Photo Credit: Wikimedia (April 3, 2009). 

Collection: National Museum of Damascus (garden). 

1. As-Suwaydāʾ has yielded at least two specimens (I & II); others came from al-Ḥarrā, Burāq, Buṣrā, aš-Šayẖ Saʿd, etc.