Quadriga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A quadriga (Latin quadri-, four, and jungere, to yoke) is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast (the Roman equivalent of Greek Tethrippon). It was raced in the Olympic Games and other games. It is represented in profile as the chariot of gods and heroes on Greek vases and in bas-relief. The quadriga was adopted in ancient Roman chariot racing. Quadrigas were emblems of triumph; Victory and Fame often are depicted as the triumphant woman driving it. In classical mythology, the quadriga is the chariot of the gods; Apollo was depicted driving his quadriga across the heavens, delivering daylight and dispersing the night.
The word quadriga may refer to the chariot alone, the four horses without it, or the combination.
All modern quadrigas are based on the Triumphal Quadriga, a Roman or Greek sculpture which is the only surviving ancient quadriga. It was originally erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople, possibly on a triumphal arch, and is now in St Mark's Basilica in Venice. It was looted by Venetian Crusaders in the Fourth Crusade of 1204 and placed on the terrace of the basilica. In 1797, Napoleon carried the quadriga off to Paris but in 1815 the horses were returned to Venice. Due to the effects of atmospheric pollution, the original quadriga was retired to a museum and replaced with a replica in the 1980s.
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[edit] Modern Examples
Some of the most significant full-size free-standing sculptures of quadrigas include, in approximate chronological order:
- The Berlin Quadriga is one of the most famous modern quadrigas in the world. It was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow in 1793 as the Quadriga of Victory, as a symbol of peace (represented by the olive wreath carried by Victory). Located atop the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, it was seized by Napoleon during his occupation of Berlin in 1806, and taken to Paris. It was returned to Berlin by Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher in 1814. Her olive wreath was subsequently replaced by an Iron Cross. The statue suffered severe damage during the Second World War, and the association of the Iron Cross with Prussian militarism convinced the Communist government of East Germany to remove this aspect of the statue after the war. The iron cross was restored after German reunification in 1990.[1]
- The Carrousel Quadriga is situated atop the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris, France. The arch itself was built to commemorate the victories of Napoleon, but the quadriga was sculpted by Baron François Joseph Bosio to commemorate the Restoration of the Bourbons. The Restoration is represented by an allegorical goddess driving a quadriga, with gilded Victories accompanying it on each side. Circa 1815.
- The Quadriga on the General Staff Building on the Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, 1819-1829
- The Quadriga on the Alexandrinsky Theater, in Saint Petersburg, 1828-1832
- The Panther Quadriga on the Semperoper in Dresden, circa 1841
- The Quadriga on the Bolshoi, above the portico of the famous Bolshoi Theatre designed by the world-known sculptor Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg, circa 1850
- The Siegestor (Victory Gate) in Munich is topped by a lion quadriga created by Martin von Wagner, circa 1852
- Two Quadrigas on the Grand Palais in Paris, the work of French sculptor Georges Récipon, circa 1900
- Atop the Arch at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, lady Columbia, an allegorical representation of the United States, rides in a chariot drawn by two horses. Two winged Victory figures, each leading a horse, trumpets Columbia's arrival. The sculptor was Frederick William MacMonnies, done circa 1900.
- Victory and Progress, horse drawn chariots by J. Massey Rhind on the Wayne County Building in Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900
- Progress of the State at the Minnesota State Capitol is unique for being entirely covered in gold leaf, and is situated above a building entrance rather than a triumphal arch. It was sculpted by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter and put in place in 1906.
- The Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II (Monument of Victor Emmanuel II) or Altare della Patria (Altar of the Nation) or "Il Vittoriano" in Rome, Italy features two statues of goddess Victoria riding on quadrigas. Begun 1911, completed in 1935
- The Wellington Arch Quadriga is situated atop the Wellington Arch in London, England. It was designed by Adrian Jones in 1912. The sculpture shows a small boy (actually the son of Lord Michelham, the man who funded the sculpture) leading the quadriga, with Peace descending upon it from heaven.
[edit] See also
- Horses of Saint Mark in Venice, remnants of a quadriga of ancient Rome & Nova Roma taken by Enrico Dandolo.
[edit] References
- ^ Brandenburg Gate. Berlin - Offizielles Stadtportal der Hauptstadt Deutschlands - Berlin.de.
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