I Cavalli di San Marco are a set of gilded copper statues of 4 horses, originally attached to a quadriga, a four horse carriage used in chariot racing.  Also known as the ‘Triumphal Quadriga’ and the ‘Horses of the Hippodrome of Constantinople’. The sculptures date from classical antiquity.  Because of the style, they were thought to be Greek, by the 4^th C BC sculptor Lysippos, but carbon dating shows they are from the 1^st-3rd C AD, which makes them 1700-1900 years old. An 8^th century document mentions ‘four gilt horses that stand above the Hippodrome brought from the island of Chios by Theodosius II’ (AD 408-450)

The sculptures are expressive and magnificent!  The realism is incredible-bulging veins, rippling muscles, flaring nostrils, raised hooves, and the way they are in sync, with their heads turned to each other.  Streaks of gold leaf are still visible on their bodies.  The poet Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) remarked ‘they seem to be neighing and pawing at the ground, as if alive’.  They are made using the lost wax method.  A wax sculpture is used to make a mold, usually of clay.  The sculpture is then cast with the mold. Each cavallo weighs close to 900 kg (2000 lbs).  Very few metal masterpieces have survived from antiquity as they were all melted down in medieval times to make weapons.

There is a lot of history to this foursome representing Apollo, God of the sun.  They were likely made on the Greek island of Chios and brought by Emperor Constantine to the new capital Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 330 AD to adorn the chariot racetrack or by Theodosius 100 years later.  During the sack and looting of Constantinople in 1204, the Venetians took them as spoils of war. The cavalli were in storage in the Arsenale and in 1254 were placed on the terrace above the main door to the Basilica San Marco, as a symbol of military and political power. Small marble columns held up their feet.  Collars on the horses were added to hide where they had to be decapitated for transport from Constantinople.  They lived on the terrace for almost 600 years, until Napoleon looted them in 1797, taking them to Paris. In Paris, they were installed outside the Louvre on top of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, along with a new quadriga. Upon the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, they were actually returned to the terrace in Venezia by the Duke of Wellington- minus their ruby pupils.  Replicas are now on the Paris monument. The cavalli were restored in 1977 and to protect from environmental oxidation they made their final journey in the early 1980’s.  The cavalli were moved inside the Basilica to the Loggia dei Cavalli and replicas made by Fonderia Battaglia di Milano were placed on the terrace

Classical art has a long history as a trophy of war taken by victorious generals.  Greater than art, it had power, and was a symbol of triumph, survival and to how each civilization built on the previous one.  Regardless of how you feel about looted art, for these 4 brothers, it is what saved them.  There is almost zero chance they would have survived if left in Constantinople.  They would have been melted down for ammunition or building materials.

Do not miss a visit to these beauties. Admission to the Basilica San Marco on site is €3 plus admission to the Museum, outdoor terrace and Loggia dei cavalli €7 for a total of €10.

Tickets can also be purchased online in advance for the Basilica €6, and the museum €9 for a total of €15. Have you seen I Cavalli di San Marco?

*Photo credit-Prethika Kumar!