Lot #9: MASSIVE 1 of 1 Framed Louvre Museum Poster: Winged Victory of Samothrace by Maquette Pfaffli Imprimerie Bedos & Cie Paris

Measurements 65.75" tall x 48" wide. An absolute statement piece, this poster and frame was custom made for the Ministère de la Culture et de l'Environnement Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris by Bedos & Cie Printing. Bedos & Cie was a Parisian printing house located at 14 Félix Faure Avenue in the 15th Arrondissement of Paris that was active in the 40's - 60's that specialized in large format prints. It depicts an advertisement for The Winged Victory of Samothrace, or the Nike of Samothrace, a votive monument originally discovered on the island of Samothrace in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beginning of the 2nd century BC (190 BC). It is composed of a statue representing the goddess Nike (Victory), whose head and arms are missing, and a base in the shape of a ship's bow. The total height of the monument is 5.57 metres (18 ft 3 in) including the socle; the statue alone measures 2.75 metres (9 ft 0 in). The sculpture is one of a small number of major Hellenistic statues surviving in the original, rather than Roman copies. Winged Victory has been exhibited at the Louvre in Paris, at the top of the main staircase, since 1884. Greece is seeking the return of the sculpture. The Louvre is a national art museum in Paris, France. It is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement (district) and home to some of the most canonical works of Western art, including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. Remnants of the Medieval Louvre fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. Due to urban expansion, the fortress eventually lost its defensive function, and in 1546 Francis I converted it into the primary residence of the French kings. Pickup category timeslot {A}