Nike from Hadrian's Library
Greek: Νίκη της Βιβλιοθήκης του Αδριανού
The statue in the Library museum
Year1st century BC
MediumWhite marble
MovementRoman
SubjectThe goddess Nike
Dimensions255 cm (100 in)
ConditionHead, arms, wings and left leg missing
LocationHadrian's Library, Athens

The statue of Nike from Hadrian's Library (Greek: Νίκη της Βιβλιοθήκης του Αδριανού) is a colossal sculpture of the Greek victory goddess Nike (Roman Victoria) that adorned Hadrian's Library, a large library built in Athens by Roman Emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138 AD). It is now exhibited in a small exhibition area in the Library along with several other findings.[1]

History

The Nike from Hadrian's Library was recovered from the well of an Ottoman cistern at the south wing of the facade of Hadrian's Library during excavations in 1988.[2]

The dating of the Nike from Hadrian's Library has been a difficult task. The sculpture, defined by its mature classical character, is very similar to creations of the late 5th century BC, but nevertheless it is without a doubt that it is an original Roman work without any previous parallel.[3] The most agreed consensus places the creation of the Nike during the first century BC during the Augustan and pre-Hadrianic period;[4] after Emperor Augustus's victory over the Parthians in 18 BC, he dedicated the statue during his stay in Athens, during which he also financed the completion of the Roman Agora of Athens. Nike would have been placed at the front of the facade. Later it transferred to the Library, and put somewhere at the south wing.[3]

Hadrian probably chose this statue to adorn his library as a tribute to Augustus, and deliberate imitation of him. Following the year 123, AD Hadrian abandoned his previous title of Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus and adopted the epithet Hadrianus Augustus instead, as he aspired to be identified as new Augustus.[5]

During excavations some years later in 1999 a fragment of a parallel statue was unearthed; an oversized globe with a portion of the right foot of a figure on it. It was found embedded into an Ottoman-era well. Just like the statue of Nike, the missing figure was not standing completely upright, but tilted to the right. This fragment measures 54 cm in height and 40 cm in width (21 in × 16 in).[6] The discovery of this second globe that no doubt belonged to another Nike statue confirms that there existed a group of Nike statues in the Library, among several other colossal statues.[7]

Description

With a height of 2.55 m, the white marble statue of Nike is over lifesize, and has been categorized as a statue of the Victoria Romana type. The goddess is depicted dressed in peplos, and landing from the sky. Nike's right foot rests onto a large globe, while her advancing left leg is only fragmentarily preserved, missing from below the knee. Both of her non-preserved arms were raised. Nike's wings are also missing, as is her head, although a fragmentary head belonging to a female figure was found later in 1992 within short distance and has been attributed to this statue, based mainly on the matching size.[8] That head, however, has not been reattached to the headless sculpture.

The rear side of the sculpture is not as elaborately carved as the front, whereas at the lower part, a deep square socket is preserved for the insertion of a metal tie beam through which the statue was firmly secured in place, meaning that the Nike was installed at a great height in the Library. In order to render her landing, the statue has been carved so that it deviates from its vertical axis, leaning intensely forward. Meanwhile, the wind illusion is achieved by the moving drapery of her garment, which creates many folds around Nike's legs as it swirls, leaving one breast exposed. The sculpture is a masterfully created one, by a sculptor whose identiy remains unknown.[8] Her drapery is free, deeply carved and following the figure's movement. In order to separate the folds drill was used, but the marks would not have been visible at such great height Nike was placed. Additionally, the edges of Nike's garment, especially those on the back side are not rendered in detail, and stand in contrast to the plain and elegant folds of the statues in Augustus's age.[3]

Nike was often depicted holding wreaths, bowls, cups or even lyres, but never with globes in archaic Greek art; Nike had never been shown on a globe until Emperor Augustus popularised this image on a denarius in 31 BC. It is possible that the globe image originated from a statue of Nike from Tarentum, although there is no solid historical evidence for that assumption.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sourlas, Dimitris (2019). The Library of Hadrian (brochure) (PDF). Translated by D. Brown-Kazazis. Hellenic Organization of Cultural Resources Development.
  2. ↑ Sourlas 2021, pp. 222–24.
  3. 1 2 3 Sourlas 2021, p. 227.
  4. ↑ Boatwright 2000, p. 157, n. 57.
  5. ↑ Sourlas 2021, p. 229.
  6. ↑ Sourlas 2021, p. 222.
  7. ↑ Sourlas 2021, p. 232.
  8. 1 2 Sourlas 2021, p. 224.
  9. ↑ Sidrys 2020, p. 34.

Bibliography

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