The Horses of St. Mark's

The Horses of St. Mark's PDF Author: Charles Freeman
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1468303023
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
The noted historian explores the mysterious origins and surprising adventures of four iconic bronze statues as they appear and reappear through the ages. In July 1798, a triumphant procession made its way through the streets of Paris. Echoing the parades of Roman emperors many years before, Napoleon Bonaparte was proudly displaying the spoils of his recent military adventures. There were animals—caged lions and dromedaries—as well as tropical plants. Among the works of art on show, one stood out: four horses of gilded metal, taken by Napoleon from their home in Venice. The Horses of St Mark's have found themselves at the heart of European history time and time again: in Constantinople, at both its founding and sacking in the Fourth Crusade; in Venice, at both the height of its greatness and fall in 1797; in the Paris of Napoleon, and the revolutions of 1848; and back in Venice, the most romantic city in the world. Charles Freeman offers a fascinating account of both the statues themselves and the societies through which they have travelled and been displayed. As European society has developed from antiquity to the present day, these four horses have stood and watched impassively. This is the story of their—and our—times.

The Horses of St. Mark's

The Horses of St. Mark's PDF Author: Charles Freeman
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1468303023
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
The noted historian explores the mysterious origins and surprising adventures of four iconic bronze statues as they appear and reappear through the ages. In July 1798, a triumphant procession made its way through the streets of Paris. Echoing the parades of Roman emperors many years before, Napoleon Bonaparte was proudly displaying the spoils of his recent military adventures. There were animals—caged lions and dromedaries—as well as tropical plants. Among the works of art on show, one stood out: four horses of gilded metal, taken by Napoleon from their home in Venice. The Horses of St Mark's have found themselves at the heart of European history time and time again: in Constantinople, at both its founding and sacking in the Fourth Crusade; in Venice, at both the height of its greatness and fall in 1797; in the Paris of Napoleon, and the revolutions of 1848; and back in Venice, the most romantic city in the world. Charles Freeman offers a fascinating account of both the statues themselves and the societies through which they have travelled and been displayed. As European society has developed from antiquity to the present day, these four horses have stood and watched impassively. This is the story of their—and our—times.

The Horses of San Marco, Venice

The Horses of San Marco, Venice PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Basilica di San Marco (Venice, Italy).
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description


The Horses of San Marco & the Quadriga of the Lord

The Horses of San Marco & the Quadriga of the Lord PDF Author: Michael Jacoff
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780691032702
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
Although the rich facades of San Marco are an unmistakable tribute to the glory of Venice, their captivating splendor almost conceals the rigor of their complex ideological statement. Here Michael Jacoff offers a new approach to understanding San Marco's exterior decoration by concentrating on the facades' most celebrated feature: the four life-size ancient bronze horses on the west front. Trophies commemorating Venice's conquest of Constantinople in 1204, these horses, Jacoff argues, also evoked for medieval believers the metaphor of Christ's quadriga, in which the four Evangelists are likened to four spirited steeds drawing Christ's chariot, representing His Word, through the world. The horses have, then, both a political and religious meaning, and in both respects they make a fundamental contribution to the facades' overall message. Jacoff compares the horses to other examples of ancient sculpture put on display during the Middle Ages and explores their Roman references. He concludes that the horses would have been installed very differently were it not for their additional Christian meaning at San Marco. Seeing the horses as the Quadriga of the Lord significantly advances our understanding of San Marco's facades and of the medieval reuse of classical antiquities.

The Horses of San Marco, Venice

The Horses of San Marco, Venice PDF Author: Guido Perocco
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cavalli di San Marco (Venice, Italy)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


The Horses of Saint Mark's

The Horses of Saint Mark's PDF Author: Charles Freeman
Publisher: Little Brown GBR
ISBN: 9780316861182
Category : Bronze sculpture, Classical
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
Much of the facade of St Mark's Basilica has changed since Venice's medieval heyday, but the four horses on the loggia above the main entrance still dominate the square as they did in the 15th century. They are the only team of four horses to survive from antiquity. Their origin is uncertain - they were probably cast in the 2nd century AD in Greece or Rome - their journey through history has been remarkable. Wherever they have been displayed the horses have been central as both symbols of beauty and power. The first written reference we have to them is in 4th Century Constantinople where they represented the Emperor's divine connection. They were then plundered by the Doge of Venice when he torched the city during the fourth crusade. When Napoleon invaded in 1797 the horses were at the top of his shopping list and on their removal to Paris they were at the front of his imperial triumph. The magnificent beasts have been witnesses, therefore, to some of the most tumultuous events in European history. Reading this highly original book is to see these events through the eyes of one of the great international works of art.

The Horses of San Marco

The Horses of San Marco PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 13

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Book Description


Four Golden Horses in the Sun

Four Golden Horses in the Sun PDF Author: Ottavio Vittori
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bronze
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description


The Horses of San Marco, Venice

The Horses of San Marco, Venice PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cavalli di San Marco (Venice, Italy)
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description


Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces

Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces PDF Author: Rick Steves
Publisher: Rick Steves
ISBN: 9781641712231
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Explore Europe's top 100 works of art with America's most trusted travel authority, Rick Steves. Travel through time and discover Europe's most iconic paintings, sculptures, and historic buildings. From Venus to Versailles, Apollo to David, and Mona Lisa to The Thinker, Rick and co-author Gene Openshaw will have you marveling, learning, and laughing, one masterpiece at a time. Whether you're traveling to Europe or just dreaming about it, this book both stokes your wanderlust and kindles a greater appreciation of art, with historical context and information on where to see it for yourself. With Rick's trusted insight and gorgeous, full-color photos throughout, Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces celebrates nearly 20,000 years of unforgettable art.

Venice: Lion City

Venice: Lion City PDF Author: Garry Wills
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439122121
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
Garry Wills's Venice: Lion City is a tour de force -- a rich, colorful, and provocative history of the world's most fascinating city in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when it was at the peak of its glory. This was not the city of decadence, carnival, and nostalgia familiar to us from later centuries. It was a ruthless imperial city, with a shrewd commercial base, like ancient Athens, which it resembled in its combination of art and sea empire. Venice: Lion City presents a new way of relating the history of the city through its art and, in turn, illuminates the art through the city's history. It is illustrated with more than 130 works of art, 30 in full color. Garry Wills gives us a unique view of Venice's rulers, merchants, clerics, laborers, its Jews, and its women as they created a city that is the greatest art museum in the world, a city whose allure remains undiminished after centuries. Like Simon Schama's The Embarrassment of Riches, on the Dutch culture in the Golden Age, Venice: Lion City will take its place as a classic work of history and criticism.