The Horses of St Mark; 4 statues of copper, brought to the Basilica di San Marco, Venice, from Constantinople [hippodrome], after the sack of 1204. Made the latest in the 4th c. CE, but most possibly earlier; placed firstly on the facade of the Basilica, but then transferred inside [2050 x 1600]
by -introuble2
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* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_of_Saint_Mark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_of_Saint_Mark)
* crop from photo by Darren and Brad in [https://www.flickr.com/photos/brad-darren/52786489225/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/brad-darren/52786489225/)
wow their surface is wild, is it old gilding and verdigris, or just particularly cool verdigris?
I saw these when I was in Venice last year. They are well worth seeing in person – a genuine treasure from the ancient world.
The whole cathedral is amazing, and the most amazing part is that the place seems to be filled with stuff stolen at various times from elsewhere. Even the saint was famously stolen! (From Alexandria).
Another treasure from the ancient world is the statue of the Tetrarchs, a porphyry statue depicting the time Diocletian decided the Roman Empire should have four emperors and not just one. They are shown embracing each other with one arm, the other keeping a wary hand on the hilt of each one’s sword … this statue is literally cemented into the outside wall of the cathedral, along with a lot of other things stolen from here and there.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_the_Four_Tetrarchs
I knew about the statue before I went to Venice, but not where it was located. Imagine my surprise when I saw it, just sitting there, while I was standing in line to get tickets to go inside.