Head of Victory, study for The Apotheosis of Homer

This Head of Victory for the Apotheosis of Homer from 1826 is a study for the personification of military triumph in Ingres's programmatic canvas. The figure hovers above Homer, crowning him with a laurel wreath in a composition that celebrates the triumph of classical artistic values. Having spent nearly two decades in Rome as a student and later as director of the French Academy, Ingres returned to Paris in 1841 as the uncontested champion of classical tradition.

The head study shows Ingres's idealized treatment of the allegorical figure. The smooth modeling and controlled expression create a vision of classical beauty appropriate to the personification of Victory.