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The Horses of St. Mark's: A Story of Triumph in Byzantium, Paris, and Venice
Celebrated historian Charles Freeman, author of the 2009 surprise hit A.D. 381, explores the mysterious origin of the statues and their turbulent movements through Europe over the centuries: 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. In this remarkable new book, Freeman shows how the horses came to stand at the heart of European history time and time again.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2004
7 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Charles Freeman
64 books120 followersCharles Freeman is a freelance academic historian with wide interests in the history of European culture and thought. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Egypt, Greece and Rome, Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean. He has followed this up with The Greek Achievement (Penguin 1999), The Legacy of Ancient Egypt (Facts on File, 1997) and The Closing of the Western Mind, a study of the relationship between Greek philosophy and Christianity in the fourth century and beyond. His The Horses of St. Mark’s (Little Brown, 2004) is a study of these famous works of art in their historical contexts over the centuries. In 2003, Charles Freeman was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 4, 2019
How to approach this fairytale city? And one's first glimpse of the basilica of St. Mark's? By the time I arrived in Venice around 1989, the horses had already been moved inside to the museum. I didn’t know this until now, but they had made a world tour before being installed in the museum in the basilica. This book is a very engaging in telling the tale of the four horses-- from their plunder during the mind-boggling rude Siege of Constantinople (so-called fourth crusade) to their installation in Venice on the basilica loggia; and then on to their removal by Napoleon along with countless boxes of Titians and Tintorettos, where the horses ended up installed on the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris. They were finally returned to Venice, in great part thanks to the campaign waged by Sculptor Antonio Canava. The telling of the odyssey of these four horses is riveting (I read this book in two sittings!)
Did you know that it is still not clear what were the origins of the horses?
We know that in classical Greek --and then later Roman-- culture, chariots were drawn ceremonially by four horses, which were not drawn by horses harnessed in sets of pairs as in a stage coach, but four harnessed side by side. Obviously, it is impossible to drive chariots like this and it is thought that the two outer horses were simply ceremonial. You can find ancient Athenian crater vases with the four horses shown with the two inner forces face each other and the two outer horses which have no pulling power they’re just decorative--often used to pull chariots of gods, like the god of Neptune rises from the sea in a chariot pulled by four horses. This is called a QUADRIGA.
The Romans took the custom on; in particular, quadriga were used by emperors in triumphal parades. For example emperors were carried into the hippodrome on such four-horses drawn chariots to celebrate military triumphs. The Roman sun God, SOL, was always associated with the four horse chariots. The image of the quadriga was later incorporated into Christian iconography, where they were used to symbolize the four evangelists carrying in triumph the Christ. Michael Jacoff has a great book on this. The horses were installed on the Western facade, considered the non-political religious side of the basilica so this Christian association--specifically with Saint Mark, really comes into play.
Were they Greek? Were they Roman? This book was published in 2004--but there is no talk of scientific testing. Some scholars even see Persian influence. Made in copper by the indirect lost wax method, these horses could even by later copies of older originals. Why copper? Being more hazardous and difficult, copper requires higher temperatures. The only reason copper was used was for statues that were to be entirely gilded--as these were.
There are countless explanations... the author sifting through them all, comes down on the side of their being Roman created in a Greek style. He thinks that they were removed from Rome and then placed on the Hippodrome in Constantinople.
Quote:
"For 1500 years, from 1000 BC to 580ad, a team of four horses represented status... In the Greek world the chariot drawn by four horses reinforced the role of the games, at Olympia and other sites, as aristocratic gatherings. The gods,, and even citizens of Athens in their most arrogant representation of the Parthenon freeze, traveled in quadrigae. In the Roman period, a quadriga drew the victor in his triumph in Rome and quadrigae were adopted by the emperors as their symbol of eternal victory. So they are infused with meaning from the classical world."
They were also a happy reminded for the Dandolo family of their ability to humiliate Constantinople (were he lost his eyes and suffered such defeat).
I love Venice so much. It was one of only two cities I have ever truly fallen in love with. To learn about the famous horses at last, was fantastic. Book read on beach in Ventura, watching pelicans.
Did you know that it is still not clear what were the origins of the horses?
We know that in classical Greek --and then later Roman-- culture, chariots were drawn ceremonially by four horses, which were not drawn by horses harnessed in sets of pairs as in a stage coach, but four harnessed side by side. Obviously, it is impossible to drive chariots like this and it is thought that the two outer horses were simply ceremonial. You can find ancient Athenian crater vases with the four horses shown with the two inner forces face each other and the two outer horses which have no pulling power they’re just decorative--often used to pull chariots of gods, like the god of Neptune rises from the sea in a chariot pulled by four horses. This is called a QUADRIGA.
The Romans took the custom on; in particular, quadriga were used by emperors in triumphal parades. For example emperors were carried into the hippodrome on such four-horses drawn chariots to celebrate military triumphs. The Roman sun God, SOL, was always associated with the four horse chariots. The image of the quadriga was later incorporated into Christian iconography, where they were used to symbolize the four evangelists carrying in triumph the Christ. Michael Jacoff has a great book on this. The horses were installed on the Western facade, considered the non-political religious side of the basilica so this Christian association--specifically with Saint Mark, really comes into play.
Were they Greek? Were they Roman? This book was published in 2004--but there is no talk of scientific testing. Some scholars even see Persian influence. Made in copper by the indirect lost wax method, these horses could even by later copies of older originals. Why copper? Being more hazardous and difficult, copper requires higher temperatures. The only reason copper was used was for statues that were to be entirely gilded--as these were.
There are countless explanations... the author sifting through them all, comes down on the side of their being Roman created in a Greek style. He thinks that they were removed from Rome and then placed on the Hippodrome in Constantinople.
Quote:
"For 1500 years, from 1000 BC to 580ad, a team of four horses represented status... In the Greek world the chariot drawn by four horses reinforced the role of the games, at Olympia and other sites, as aristocratic gatherings. The gods,, and even citizens of Athens in their most arrogant representation of the Parthenon freeze, traveled in quadrigae. In the Roman period, a quadriga drew the victor in his triumph in Rome and quadrigae were adopted by the emperors as their symbol of eternal victory. So they are infused with meaning from the classical world."
They were also a happy reminded for the Dandolo family of their ability to humiliate Constantinople (were he lost his eyes and suffered such defeat).
I love Venice so much. It was one of only two cities I have ever truly fallen in love with. To learn about the famous horses at last, was fantastic. Book read on beach in Ventura, watching pelicans.
November 18, 2012
For the history buff, you'll read many a book before you find one better. The statues of four horses which have stood on the facade of St. Mark's in Venice for centuries are the center of the mystery here. Where did they come from? Who was the artist who created them. Were they booty? Tribute? A relic of ancient Greece, a Roman copy, or even from some later hand?
And interwoven with these questions are the history of Venice, a city state with ties to the Byzantine Empire unlike any other in the country which has come to be known as Italy. Here are the personalities and places, cast across the Mediterranean and beyond, which lit the fires of the cauldron from which these magnificent creatures were cast.
It's a whirl of a story. My only complaint is that the poor quality black and white reproductions of the art works mentioned in the book do not serve the tale here told very well. I strongly recommend that the reader keep a laptop handy and look up full-color (and clearer) images of these works online, they will blow you away. The little dog in Carpaccio's "Vision of St. Augustine" alone takes my breath away.
Note to the publisher: next time, spring for full color images of a size worthy of the eye. You have debased an otherwise excellent book by their absence.
And interwoven with these questions are the history of Venice, a city state with ties to the Byzantine Empire unlike any other in the country which has come to be known as Italy. Here are the personalities and places, cast across the Mediterranean and beyond, which lit the fires of the cauldron from which these magnificent creatures were cast.
It's a whirl of a story. My only complaint is that the poor quality black and white reproductions of the art works mentioned in the book do not serve the tale here told very well. I strongly recommend that the reader keep a laptop handy and look up full-color (and clearer) images of these works online, they will blow you away. The little dog in Carpaccio's "Vision of St. Augustine" alone takes my breath away.
Note to the publisher: next time, spring for full color images of a size worthy of the eye. You have debased an otherwise excellent book by their absence.
July 20, 2024
Växte upp med näsan i boken Vendela i Venedig och det tog mig ca 20 år att sätta näsan i nästa bok som skulle kunna berätta något om hästarna i Venedig, men nu hände det! Stundtals svår. Stundtals tacksam för 60 hp konsthistoria. Den öppnade lika många dörrar som den stängde, ungefär så känner jag väl, men allt som allt håller jag med boken. Som semiotiker känner jag att det sista kapitlet var ett perfekt sätt att knyta ihop allt. Generellt ovan vid att läsa historia skriven på detta sätt, men jag älskar en popkulturell, kanske lite mer levande, take på det gamla. Rekommenderar till den som, verkligen, vill veta mer.
November 13, 2021
One of the first pop-history books I ever read (even though it somewhat straddles the border between being normal 'history'), The Horses of St. Mark's became an early favourite. Not for its relatively dry and dense presentation, nor for its occasional, rambling jaunts into Date-and-nameville, but because Freeman presents such a well researched and fascinating subject. And who would have thought that the journey of the four, cast-metal steeds, which today stand inside the Basilica di San Marco in Venice, could make for a good yarn, at all? By no means a straightforward or simple history, this book charts the horses’ cloudy and chaotic story — so cloudy, in fact, that these four may be just another set of fakes or copies — between cities and various, foreign powers who have seized them, claimed them, hidden, and displayed them over a thousand years. A worthwhile read, but don't expect a page-turner, here.
March 24, 2015
The famous horses of St Mark's in Venice, for so many centuries highly visible on their platform above the piazza, have had a fascinating history, serving at various moments as artistic wonders, as plunder, or as symbols of triumph and unity. Charles Freeman traces their history through the years, serving up along the way an enjoyable potted history of Constantinople and Venice, Renaissance art and sculpture, philosophy and aesthetics.
The horses' origins are shrouded in mystery, and scholars, philosophers and aesthetes have debated for centuries over whether the horses were Greek or Roman, whether they were intended to symbolise a victory in the Olympic Games or to adorn a triumphal arch in Rome. The horses were moved from Rome to Constantinople in the 4th century AD to celebrate the founding of that city by Constantine. They were stolen from Constantinople in the 13th century by the Venetians during the city's sacking during the Fourth Crusade. Centuries later they were plundered again, this time by Napoleon, and brought to Paris as a symbol of victory. Repatriated after the final fall of Napoleon in 1815, they were returned to their home in Venice, where they have remained to this day - although modern pollution and its corrosive effects on the copper horses have meant they are now no longer in pride of place above the arch of St Mark's but undercover inside.
The horses have come to be more than simply copper statues - over the years they have become caught up in political currents, in revolutions, political and philosophical debates, and have served as cultural icons and symbols of national pride. In a way, these associations have ensured the horses' survival - being easily transportable (read: easily stolen) they were seen as prestige items, obviously intended for public display, and it is in this capacity that they became high-profile targets for plunder, first by the Romans, who may (or may not) have stolen them from the Greeks, then Constantine, the Venetians, and finally Napoleon.
I did enjoy this book, although it is less about the horses themselves than the particular nations and cultures they have found themselves in at any given point. The actual investigation into their origins is done and dusted in a few pages, and hanging an entire book on the concept means the conceit is a little stretched. But it's an enjoyable read, and I learned a little about Venetian history along the way, so I can't complain.
The horses' origins are shrouded in mystery, and scholars, philosophers and aesthetes have debated for centuries over whether the horses were Greek or Roman, whether they were intended to symbolise a victory in the Olympic Games or to adorn a triumphal arch in Rome. The horses were moved from Rome to Constantinople in the 4th century AD to celebrate the founding of that city by Constantine. They were stolen from Constantinople in the 13th century by the Venetians during the city's sacking during the Fourth Crusade. Centuries later they were plundered again, this time by Napoleon, and brought to Paris as a symbol of victory. Repatriated after the final fall of Napoleon in 1815, they were returned to their home in Venice, where they have remained to this day - although modern pollution and its corrosive effects on the copper horses have meant they are now no longer in pride of place above the arch of St Mark's but undercover inside.
The horses have come to be more than simply copper statues - over the years they have become caught up in political currents, in revolutions, political and philosophical debates, and have served as cultural icons and symbols of national pride. In a way, these associations have ensured the horses' survival - being easily transportable (read: easily stolen) they were seen as prestige items, obviously intended for public display, and it is in this capacity that they became high-profile targets for plunder, first by the Romans, who may (or may not) have stolen them from the Greeks, then Constantine, the Venetians, and finally Napoleon.
I did enjoy this book, although it is less about the horses themselves than the particular nations and cultures they have found themselves in at any given point. The actual investigation into their origins is done and dusted in a few pages, and hanging an entire book on the concept means the conceit is a little stretched. But it's an enjoyable read, and I learned a little about Venetian history along the way, so I can't complain.
May 3, 2016
The Horses of St. Mark’s by Charles Freeman is probably too long for its conceit of solving the mystery of the provenance of the four horses that are now crowded unceremoniously beneath the eaves inside St. Mark’s in Venice (with copies standing on the outside Loggia). The evidence for the author’s conclusion could have been marshaled in a few pages, and the conclusion in a couple of paragraphs.
Indeed, the reader mostly forgets the question of where the horses came from before they were plundered from Constantinople and brought to Venice in the much more interesting story told of where they have been and what they have witnessed since then. The strength of the book is how it brings to life the history of the rise and fall of the Venetian Republic, its conquering by Napoleon, and its tenuous hold against the sea. I was particularly happy to learn something about specific Venetian artists, and to be able to put them into their historical context. I had seen several of Canova’s works (such as his sculpture of Napoleon’s sister, Pauline,) but now I know he was not merely an artist, but a man active in regard to safeguarding Italian art treasures, and diplomatically astute enough to be effective.
On the whole, I think the horses were an awkward choice to pull this particular chariot of information, although the horses and the chariot are each magnificent.
Indeed, the reader mostly forgets the question of where the horses came from before they were plundered from Constantinople and brought to Venice in the much more interesting story told of where they have been and what they have witnessed since then. The strength of the book is how it brings to life the history of the rise and fall of the Venetian Republic, its conquering by Napoleon, and its tenuous hold against the sea. I was particularly happy to learn something about specific Venetian artists, and to be able to put them into their historical context. I had seen several of Canova’s works (such as his sculpture of Napoleon’s sister, Pauline,) but now I know he was not merely an artist, but a man active in regard to safeguarding Italian art treasures, and diplomatically astute enough to be effective.
On the whole, I think the horses were an awkward choice to pull this particular chariot of information, although the horses and the chariot are each magnificent.
October 28, 2013
This an interesting way to view the history of Venice -- by tracing the history of the horses at St. Mark's Basilica. There's also a bit of art history built into the story. Anyone who's been to Venice will recognize the descriptions of the St. Mark's Square, the architecture surrounding it, and the canals.
August 31, 2010
Very interesting story and well researched.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews