Nike (II), 1873/1876

Anton Romako (1832–1889) was among the most important, but also the most free-spirited artists of the late 19th century. His style was unconventional and frequently met with criticism. In 1873/76 the artist painted several representations of Nike – the goddess of victory in Greek mythology. The second version shows Nike landing on a sphere and holding a wreath of laurels in her hands. A similar Nike statue is depicted on the victory column in the later work Arrival of Marcus Aurelius in Vienna (around 1887).

Additional Text according to Settlement, June 2011:
« Dr. Oskar Reichel (born 1869, died 1943) was a doctor, merchant and art collector. After 1938, he had to give up the painting due to his persecution as a Jew. Rudolf Leopold acquired the work from the art dealer Wolfgang Gurlitt in the early 1950s and contributed it to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994.
Since the work is undoubtedly the property of the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, but was apparently seized from Oskar Reichel, it was important to the Leopold Museum to find a joint solution in the sense of a fair and just procedure with the legal successor to Oskar Reichel. »

AS, 2023