The Triumphal Quadriga is a chariot drawn by four hourses in St. Mark's Basilica. They were originally outside, in the façade, where a replica now stands.
 |
| Façade of St. Mark's Basilica seen from St. Mark's Square. |
 |
| A detail of the main façade, showing the horses of the Triumphal Quadriga. |
They probably date from 4th century AD, and were part of the Hippodrome of Constantinople. When the Venetians sacked Constantinople in 1204, in one of the Crusades, they brought the horses and placed them on the Basilica in 1254. Napoleon did the same as the Venetians did and in 1797 took the quadriga from the façade and placed it on the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, in front of the Louvre.
 |
| Showing the troops by Hyppolyte Bellangé and Adrien Dauzatz, 1862, at the Louvre Museum. |
 |
| Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel. |
They were returned to St. Mark's in 1815, with the end of the napoleonic period.
0 comments:
Post a Comment