Who sculpted the original statue of the Nike of Paionios?

The original statue of the Nike of Paionios was sculpted by Paionios, also known as Paeonius of Mende.

The marble Nike was created around 425–420 BC for the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia. It commemorated a victory connected with the Athenian campaign against Sparta at Sphacteria. The statue originally stood on a tall triangular pillar near the Temple of Zeus, making the winged goddess appear to descend dramatically toward visitors.

Only the central marble figure survives, and it is missing the head, wings, forearms, neck, toes, and parts of the drapery. Paionios is identified both by the work’s traditional attribution and by an inscription on its monument. The name is sometimes spelled Paeonius in English transliteration, but both forms refer to the same sculptor.

The statue should not be confused with the Nike of Samothrace, a later Hellenistic sculpture by an unknown artist. The Nike of Paionios is also significant as a surviving example of late fifth-century Greek sculpture and influenced the design of Olympic medals, including those of the 2004 Athens Games.