Probably by Edward Hodges Baily, Victory

This Victory, along with the female figures to its left and right, is the work of the British neoclassical sculptor, Edward Hodges Baily. Together with another five similar figures, they adorn the façade of the National Gallery.

In 1826, Baily received a large order for sculpture, including four statues of ‘Victories’, for Marble Arch, which was to be erected in celebration of Britain’s defeat of the French in the Napoleonic Wars. Although Baily completed his commission, not all of his work was used as originally intended; some parts ended up adorning other government buildings. During the construction of the National Gallery, its architect, William Wilkins, was forced in a cost-cutting exercise to recycle masonry and statuary from other projects. This explains the presence above the West Entrance of this statue personifying Victory, accompanied by two female figures, even though all three pieces were initially created for the Marble Arch commission.