At the bottom of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, on the corner, you can admire the splendid group of four gilded bronze horses, once displayed on the man facade of the basilica and now, after careful restoration, replaced by faithful copies for the needs of storage. The horses probably come from the Hippodrome of Constantinople, from where they were taken in 1204 to be sent initially to the Venetian Arsenal, before being transferred to San Marco. It is the only example of “four-way shooting” that we received from the ancient statuary, made by lost wax casting. The dating has remained uncertain for a long time, fluctuating between the fourth century B.C. And the IV century A.D. They are placed on the basilica with a wide semantic value, in a political and religious sense. Respectively as a legacy, a symbol of continuity with the imperial power of Byzantium. On the other side, an image of the Quadriga Domini, the object of a Christian interpretation that associates the role of the four evangelists and their Gospels to the actions of four horses that drive a chariot and spread the Christian message throughout the world. The chariot behind this chariot is Christ himself.
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