Martin House Unveils Replica Statue Of Nike – The Winged Victory Of Samothrace – As The Focal Point Of Restored Conservatory
Statue celebrates return of mythological goddess to her proper place in Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece
 BUFFALO, NY – The Martin House Restoration Corporation today proudly unveiled a 9 foot 6 inch replica statue of Nike, also known as Winged Victory, which has been be installed in the Martin House conservatory as the crowning feature of Frank Lloyd Wright’s remarkable design for the Darwin D. Martin house in the City of Buffalo. The unveiling will mark the conclusion of the most involved phase of the restoration project, the reconstruction of the once-demolished pergola, conservatory and carriage house.
“Having the Nike once again grace this focal point in the Martin House Complex is a victorious moment in the restoration,” said Mary Roberts, Chief Operating Officer for the MHRC. “This wonderful vista that Wright created from the front door of the house, down the 100-foot pergola, to this niche where Nike stood in the conservatory is one of the most breathtaking aspects of the house. It is amazing now to see how dramatic Wright’s vision for this house really was and of course, it is a thrill to complete the conservatory with Nike standing again in her rightful place.”
Central to the ceremony surrounding Nike’s arrival, is long-time Martin House volunteer, Judy Kieffer, whose heart-felt donation for replication of the cast for the classical sculpture was made in memory of her late husband, James Kieffer.
“We are so delighted that Judy Kieffer wished to make this very special gift in Jim’s memory. Judy is a treasured volunteer and this statue of Nike will forever be associated with her and Jim. It is a wonderful tribute,” Roberts continued.
“Matchless human achievements like the Martin House are rare,” said MHRC board president, John N. Walsh, III. “The Martin House was extraordinary when designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright a century ago. And it is extraordinary in its renewal and restoration in this era, “ he continued. “A unique community of friends has rallied to this cause with a passion and commitment second to none; truly inspirational support made this victory possible!”
In several of his buildings, Wright used smaller replicas of Nike as grace-notes to his otherwise highly rectilinear designs. In the Martin House, Wright placed a full size plaster replica in the cathedral-like apse of the conservatory, seemingly as a statement about Darwin Martin’s victories over the hardships of his youth.
“The telescopic view of the Nike of Samothrace, visible from the main entrance to the Martin House was the most powerful and compelling synthesis of architecture and narrative anywhere in Wright’s work,” said Wright scholar, Martin House curator and professor of art history at the University at Buffalo, Jack Quinan, Ph.D. “Wright transformed into architectural and sculptural terms the story of Darwin Martin’s life ? the long and difficult journey fraught with loneliness and adversity that culminated in wealth, prestige, a splendid home and stable family.”
The Nike in the present-day conservatory was created especially for the Martin House by the Giust Gallery of Woburn, Massachusetts. While the statue that was originally here was a plaster version of the ancient sculpture cast in 1906 by P.P. Caproni & Brother of Boston, the new one is created in fiberglass and finished with the same type of pearly wash that was used on the early 20th century version. The Giust Gallery contracted a laser scanning company to create a virtual model from smaller Caproni casts of the original winged goddess. Software then scaled this up to 9’-6” from which Giust created a clay model built in sections. From the clay model, they created a rubber mold that was then used for the final sculpture produced in fiberglass resin.
The new Nike will look exactly like the plaster version owned by the Martin family, except that the modern version is crafted for longevity. Over time, in a warm, moist environment like the conservatory, plaster has a tendency to break down, which is likely what happened to the first Martin House Nike. This change to modern-day materials is one of the modifications made in historical restorations that are found to be permissible when the adjustment is not visibly identifiable and when it will enhance long-term performance and durability.
The Nike was installed in four pieces – torso, two wings and the “swish” of drapery that extends from the goddess’ hip.
The original winged Nike was carved to adorn an altar in the shape of a ship’s prow in the Hellenistic Period in Greece, circa 200 BC. The statue was “discovered” on the island of Samothrace in 1863 by French consul and amateur archaeologist, Charles Champoiseau and is now exhibited in the Louvre in Paris.
Fact Sheet
Nike of Samothrace Reproduction for Martin House Conservatory
Frank Lloyd Wright specified a full scale (over nine feet tall) plaster cast of the Nike of Samothrace for the conservatory of the Martin House complex, Buffalo, NY. The complex was the most ambitious and extensive of Wright’s Prairie period (1900—1909), and the placement of this large cast of the well-known classical sculpture at the end of a 180’ axis from the front door of the Martin House to the end of the conservatory produced one of the most compelling vistas in all of Wright’s celebrated body of work.
Name
The Nike of Samothrace; popularly called the Winged Victory of Samothrace, or simply “Winged Victory” or “Nike.”
The full name “Nike of Samothrace” distinguishes this particular statue from various other sculptural depictions of the goddess Nike from various periods of Greek art.
History
Original Greek Statue (c. 200 BC)
The original marble statue of the Nike of Samothrace was a Hellenistic (circa 200 BC) Greek sculpture of the goddess Nike (Victory) discovered on the Aegean island of Samothrace. The sculpture was excavated in 1863 by French consul and amateur archaeologist Charles Champoiseau, who shipped its many fragments to Paris where it was reassembled and now resides on the Daru Stairs in the Louvre Museum.
The figure known as the Nike was originally part of a larger sanctuary complex on Samothrace, incorporating a monument in the form of a ship’s prow, thought to commemorate a naval victory by the city-state of Rhodes. Nike, the personification of victory in the Greek pantheon, is depicted at the moment she alights on the ship’s prow to mark the military triumph.
Champoiseau unearthed part of the prow—made of gray Lartos marble—and the Nike figure—made of lighter Paros marble—which was fragmented into more than a hundred pieces. The figure’s head and arms have not been found to date, but one of the hands was found in 1950 (now on display at the Louvre).
Cast in Martin House Conservatory (1906 / 1907)
Frank Lloyd Wright specified a full size cast of the Nike of Samothrace for the north niche of the conservatory of the Martin House complex. This cast was produced by P. P. Caproni & Brother of Boston, MA in late 1906 or early 1907, delivered to the Martins and installed in the conservatory in the spring of 1907. This cast was probably the largest size that the Caproni catalog offered at the time (No. 529, 9 ft. 6 in. from 1913 catalog ), costing approximately $200. It was made of plaster, with burlap and steel rod reinforcement.
New Reproduction Cast for Reconstructed Martin House Conservatory (2006/2007)
During 2004—2006, the once-demolished conservatory of the Martin House complex was completely reconstructed on its original footprint in Phase III of the comprehensive restoration of this historic site. With the original context recreated, the reproduction cast of the Nike was created by the Giust Gallery / Skylight Studios, Inc. of Woburn, MA in 2006 / 2007. This sculpture studio maintains the “Caproni Line” of casts, archiving many of P. P. Caproni and Brother’s original molds and casts for ongoing study and use. Giust Gallery has been contracted for similar work by the National Parks Service and other prominent clients. They were chosen for the Martin House commission not only because of their credentials, but also because of their historic ties to the original producer (Caproni).
Significance
The precise reason for Frank Lloyd Wright’s affinity for the Nike of Samothrace form is unclear, but it was one of his favorite classical casts. The Martin House was also furnished with reproduction statuettes of the Venus de Milo (Living room) and Mercury (Reception room). But the nearly full-size Nike was by far the most dramatic sculptural statement in the complex. The cast was framed at the end of remarkable, 180 foot vista from the front door of the Martin House, down the pergola (semi-enclosed walkway) to the conservatory. Martin House Curator Jack Quinan, PhD. theorizes that this dramatic placement of the Nike has a special significance in the Martin House complex, pertaining to Darwin Martin’s biography, saying that it represents “…a narrative of Darwin Martin’s life—the long and difficult journey fraught with loneliness and adversity that culminated in wealth, prestige, a splendid home, and a stable family.” (Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House: Architecture as Portraiture, p. 190).
Dimensions
There are some interesting discrepancies regarding the exact dimensions of the various Nikes, from the original Greek statue to the contemporary cast. The new cast is 9’ 6” high, from bottom of built-in base to highest point on wing. The concrete plinth the statue is installed on is 3’ high from the floor. Total height from floor to top of statue: 12’ 6.” The dimensions of the Martin’s original plaster cast were noted by Wright as 9’ 3,” but Caproni’s 1913 catalog lists the analogous size as 9’ 6.” The original statue in the Louvre is somewhat larger, at 10’ 6.” All casts of the Nike are noticeably smaller than the original, based on a common policy of making casts immediately distinguishable from their source.
Production
Pietro Caproni of P.P. Caproni & Brother did his casting of the Nike directly from the original in Paris. To produce the contemporary version, however, Giust Gallery had a more complex process. A laser scan was made from a smaller cast in the Caproni collection, producing a 3-D virtual model that was digitally scaled up to the ultimate size. This digital file was fed into a large milling machine which cut the rough forms of the Nike out of a large block of high density foam. A thin layer of oil-based clay was applied to the surface in order to model the fine details of the statue, such as the drapery and wings. From this positive model, a rubber mold was produced in sections.
The final cast was produced by introducing fiberglass resin into the mold. The cast was finished in four large sections for shipment and ease of installation: the main torso, two wings, and a large piece of the figure’s drapery that extends from its back. All sections were finished in a subtle wash of white, gray and brown to replicate the probable finish of the 1906 plaster cast. The four sections were assembled on-site at the Martin House conservatory, using a simple tongue-in-groove system with screws. Fiberglass resin was chosen as the material for the new cast because it will resist the warm, moist environment of the conservatory better than plaster.
Cost and Funding
Full funding for the production of the new cast was generously provided by long-time Martin House volunteer, Judy Kieffer as a memorial to her late husband, James Kieffer, another long-time supporter of the Martin House project.
Other Uses of the Nike by Wright
Casts of the Nike of Samothrace of various scales were a favorite sculptural ornament of Frank Lloyd Wright for his architectural interiors. He placed Nike casts in his own Home and Studio (Oak Park, IL, 1889-1898), the Ward Willits House (Highland Park, IL, 1901-1902) and the Larkin Administration building (Buffalo, NY, 1906).
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