It could be argued that the very pose and activity of this delightfully carved Nike was chosen just to highlight the skills of an extremely talented sculptor. Because that carving is nothing less than the work of a true virtuoso.
Originally part of the balustrade partially surrounding the tiny Temple of Athena Nike on the Athenian Akropolis, this panel of bas-relief shows a Nike (goddess and harbinger of Victory) leaning down to tie (or untie) her sandal. And she is extraordinary: an opportunity for the sculptor to use of the fully developed ‘wet style’ of drapery, as the goddess twists and balances, clothed yet displaying the forms of her beautiful body beneath.
The temple itself was finished around 420 B.C., during the fraught years of the Peloponnesian War, and (among other unusual things) was fully Ionic in order – a boost perhaps to the historical affiliations of the Athenians and a subtle jab at their Doric enemies. Its commanding and privileged position was just up and to the right of the Akropolis’ grand entryway, bounded by the sheer walls of that fortified hill. The balustrade was added on that high parapet perhaps a decade later, showing Nikai engaged in a variety of activities, preparing to honor Athena.
One wonders just how visible this masterful relief would have been. As in the nearby Parthenon frieze (indeed for much temple decoration and sacred art), was it conceived for mortal view at all or rather a most perfect and extraordinary gift for the goddess herself?
