quadriga

Though quadrigae were usually drawn by horses, occasionally, other animals or mythological creatures were employed in spectacles and in art. Elephants were sometimes used to draw quadrigae in the Roman imperial period, and more frequently elephant quadrigae were depicted on coins and other official images. In art and sculpture, quadrigae ridden in by the gods were appropriate to their characters; Neptune's quadriga was drawn, for example, by hippocampi (mythological sea-horses). • Illustration — The triumph of Neptune and Venus in a quadriga drawn by hippocampi in a mosaic from Utica in Africa, Bardo National Museum • Illustration — Venus riding in a quadriga drawn by elephants, 1st-century AD fresco from Pompeii • Illustration — Medallion of the co-augusti Diocletian and Maximian riding in a quadriga drawn by elephants and crowned by Victory • Illustration — Cybele and Attis riding on a quadriga drawn by lions on the 4th-century Parabiago plate, Archaeological Museum of Milan • Illustration — Buddy Bear Quadriga in Berlin, Kurfürstendamm 21

Some of the most significant full-size free-standing sculptures of quadrigas include, in approximate chronological order: • 1793 – The Berlin Quadriga was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow in 1793 as the Quadriga of Victory, perhaps 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 supplemented with an Iron Cross. The statue suffered severe damage during the Second World War. 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. • c. 1815 – The Carrousel quadriga is situated atop the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris, France. The arch was built to commemorate the victories of Napoleon. 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. • 1819–1829 – The quadriga on the General Staff Building on the Palace Square in Saint Petersburg • 1828–1832 – The quadriga on the Alexandrinsky Theater, in Saint Petersburg • c. 1841 – The panther-driven quadriga on the Semperoper opera house in Dresden • 1845–1848 – The quadriga on top of Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen by Herman Wilhelm Bissen and Stephan Ussing • Illustration — The quadriga driven by Apollo, a sculptural composition on the pediment of the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow • c. 1850 – The quadriga on the Bolshoi, above the portico of the Bolshoi Theatre, designed by sculptor Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg • c. 1852 – The Siegestor (Victory Gate) in Munich is topped by a lion quadriga created by Martin von Wagner. • 1868 – The quadriga on the ducal palace in Braunschweig was destroyed in 1944 during the Second World War. It was reconstructed in 2008 and is considered the largest one in Europe. • 1888 – Quadriga de l'Aurora as part of the Font de la cascada that is in Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona. Erected by Josep Fontserè, with possible contributions by the young Antoni Gaudí. • 1893 – Columbus Quadriga atop the Peristyle Building, World's Columbian Exposition, Daniel Chester French, sculpture • 1895 – The quadriga of Brabant, situated on top from Parc du Cinquantenaire (1880–1905). Constructed to mark the 50 years of Belgian Independence, in Brussels, Belgium, was built by Thomas Vinçotte and Jules Lagae. • c. 1898 – Atop Soldiers' and Sailors' 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, trumpet Columbia's arrival. The sculptor was Frederick William MacMonnies. • c. 1900 – Two quadrigas on the Grand Palais in Paris, the work of French sculptor Georges Récipon • 1904 – Victory and Progress, horse-drawn chariots by J. Massey Rhind on the Wayne County Building in Detroit, Michigan, though each of the two chariots is drawn by three instead of the customary four horses. • Illustration — The Progress of the State quadriga, at the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, Minnesota • 1906 – 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. • 1911–1935 – 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. • 1912 – The Wellington Arch Quadriga is situated atop the Wellington Arch in London, England. It was designed by Adrian Jones. The sculpture shows a small boy, the son of Lord Michelham, the man who funded the sculpture, leading the quadriga, with Peace descending upon it from heaven. • 1919–1923 – The former Banco di Bilbao headquarters at no. 16 Calle de Alcalá in Madrid, now part of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, features two quadrigas on a commercial building. The building was designed by Ricardo Bastida, with the sculptor of the chariot Higinio Basterras, and other sculptures by Quentin de la Torre. The charioteers are helmeted men standing on the handrails of the chariots. Height to plinth: about 87 ft. • 1926 – The Palace of Justice in Rome, seat of the modern Supreme Court of Cassation, features a bronze quadriga by sculptor Ettore Ximenes. • 2002 – The Warsaw's Grand Theatre features a quadriga reflecting the original Antonio Corazzi's 1833 plans for the building, but not commissioned and executed until 2002. • 2020 — Kentucky State University unveiled statue replicas of the four Horses of Saint Mark which were positioned on a rise near the entrance to the university.

• Illustration — Brandenburg Gate Quadriga at night • Illustration — The Quadriga dell'Unità at Vittoriano, Rome • Illustration — Quadriga, Wellington Arch, London • Illustration — Brabant Raising the National Flag or Quadriga of Brabant, Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels • Illustration — Quadriga, Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris • Illustration — Quadriga, Grand Theatre, Warsaw • Illustration — Quadriga by Daniel Chester French, World's Columbian Exposition, 1893 • Illustration — The Seiugae of the Arch of Peace in Milan • Illustration — Quadriga in the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona • Illustration — Wayne County Building, Detroit, Michigan, by J. Massey Rhind • Illustration — Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch Brooklyn, New York