Have you ever seen anything that totally and immediately captivated you? Winged Victory is, in my opinion, quite possibly the most moving and beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. She is glorious and commands attention. Winged Victory represents the Greek God of Victory, Nike and was created to celebrate a great sea battle victory.  She was created in 200-190 B.C.  The sculptor is thought to be Pythokritos of Rhodes.

The Louvre places her at the base of a large staircase mounted on a platform all her own. She is the only art I recall seeing in a room all by herself.  This masterpiece is not flanked by any other single piece of art which certainly adds to her grandeur.  She stands eight feet tall even without a head. Some say she is even more mysterious and lovely without her face. Probably the most striking feature to me is the fact the artist managed to capture movement in stone. She is standing in the wind and her dress is blowing and it is utterly believable. And then there are her wings. They are huge and seem to defy gravity despite their obvious weight. (To say nothing about the fact they have survived undamaged all this time.) I could sit and stare at her for hours. I hope you enjoy staring at her for moments!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winged_Victory_of_Samothrace

Winged Victory was moved to safety during WWII.  It was obviously quite the undertaking.