Page 5 - July Newsletter
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fragments. He sent the pieces to the them many years later and made a
Louvre where great discovery.
they were
carefully put That woman was Dr. Phyllis
Williams Lehman, an American
together. The archaeologist, who died on
goddess was September 29, 2004, at the age of
placed on the 91. A New York Times obituary of
prow. In 1884, the October 16, 2004, praises Dr.
completed work Lehman’s career and achievements.
was mounted at the For many years, Dr. Lehman and her
Louvre Museum at husband, the archaeologist Dr. Karl
the head of a great Lehman, worked together to
flight of stairs called unearth the history of Samothrace.
the Escalier Daru. In 1949, while working on
Samothrace, Phyllis Lehman
In addition to the lovely lady discovered Samothrace’s third
discovered by Champoiseau, two Winged Victory. This white marble
other statues of the elusive goddess statue was in better shape than her
have been unearthed. In the 1870’s, two sister statues. She had
in between Champoiseau’s two shattered into only three large
stays in Samothrace, a group of pieces and she was easily put
Austrian archaeologists arrived. together. Historians believe that the
They found a Roman copy of an Lehman Nike once adorned a
original Greek statue of Victory. Samothracian public building called
The Greek original has not been the Hieron. The third Nike is now on
found. They also discovered a permanent display in a museum in
scattering of marble fragments that Samothrace.
were not part of their statue. They
packed up the statue and the Two more exciting episodes of what
fragments and took them to Vienna. was beginning to sound like a soap
The Roman statue was put on opera lay ahead. In 1950, the
display in the Kunsthistorische Lehmans and their archaeological
Museum. The cartons of fragments team were excavating in the area
were put in a storeroom and were where Champoiseau discovered the
forgotten for many years. These statue now in the Louvre. They
cartons held a great secret, hidden moved a very large rock and found a
until an American woman opened white marble hand. They also found
