things we love: jeanne gayler and her winged victory of samothrace

Jeanne’s personal Winged Victory …

If you’ve been to the Louvre, you’ve no doubt seen one of its crowning glories: the magnificent, 9-foot-tall Winged Victory of Samothrace, carved in Greece in 190 BC, and now one of the the museum’s most famous sculptures. But if jetting off to Paris to see the thing isn’t on your schedule, there’s a half-sized copy right here in Hollin Hills — hand-carved in white marble a hundred years ago by a Parisian sculptor, to satisfy an American tourist’s desire for a souvenir.

And the copy — a.k.a. “The Winged Victory of Hollin Hills” now presides over the living room of Jeanne Gayler, whose late husband Noel inherited it many years ago from a beloved grandmother.

… and the original, at the Louvre

“Noel’s grandmother was a wealthy Alabamian due to the coal industry,” says Jeanne, “and went on a tour of Europe in the 1920’s. She spotted the Winged Victory atop the staircase and announced, ‘I’ve got to have it!’ And when she was informed that it wasn’t for sale, she set out to find a sculptor who could render a likeness.” 

“When it was brought to our house after the death of Noel’s grandmother,” adds Jeanne, “the delivery man stopped at the door on his way out, and just stood there, looking apologetic.  I asked if he needed the restroom? A drink of water?

“‘No ma’am, thank you,’ he said. ‘It’s just that … I couldn’t find the head!’”