The Nike of Paionios is an ancient statue of the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, made by sculptor Paionios (Paeonius of Mende) between 425 BC and 420 BC. Made of Parian marble, the medium gives the statue a translucent and pure white look to it. Found in pieces, the statue was restored from many fragments but is lacking face, neck, forearms, part of left leg, toes, and some fragments of drapery. It also had wings. The goddess is shown landing gently on her left foot, with the drapery blown against her body.[1]
Dedicatory inscriptionDescriptive plaque at base in Olympia
The statue was installed to commemorate the victory of a land battle between Athens and Sparta[1] in efforts to recapture the small island of Sphacteria from the Spartans in 425 BC, and then erected in 420 BC a few years after the victory. It was common for statues of Nike to be commissioned and put up after significant victories and achievements. The sculpture's location, on top of a tall plinth directly outside the Temple of Zeus would have ensured that it was seen by all Greeks who visited the sanctuary.[2] It has the inscription:
The Messenians and the Naupaktians dedicated this to Zeus
Olympios as a tithe from the enemies.
Paeonius of Mende made it
and in making the acroteria for the temple he was victorious.
—Inschriften von Olympia 259
—James Whitley[3]
Vermeule et al. propose that in this competition, the winner would be the one to carve the sculpture of Nike, and it went to Paeonius. His victory in the competition was likely the result of devising not only the most aesthetically pleasing option but also the most financially feasible.[4] The second century AD travel writer Pausanias mentions the work in his description of Olympia, noting that it was "by Paeonius, a native of Mende in Thrace".[5]
^ ab"Nike of Paionios". Joy of Museums Virtual Tours. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
^Whitley, James (2011). "Hybris and Nike". In Lambert, Stephen (ed.). Sociable man : essays on ancient Greek social behaviour in honour of Nick Fisher. Swansea: Classical Press of Wales. p. 163. ISBN 9781910589212.
^Whitley, James (2011). "Hybris and Nike". In Lambert, Stephen (ed.). Sociable man : essays on ancient Greek social behaviour in honour of Nick Fisher. Swansea: Classical Press of Wales. p. 164. ISBN 9781910589212.
^Vermeule, Cornelius; Schefold, Karl; Foster, J. R. (1968). "The Art of Classical Greece". The Classical World. 61 (8): 357. doi:10.2307/4346530. JSTOR 4346530.
^Walston, Charles (2014). Alcamenes and the establishment of the classical type in greek art. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ Press. ISBN 978-1-107-66302-2. OCLC 922510043.
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