Horses of Saint Mark, Bronze sculptures at Saint Mark's Basilica, Italy
The Horses of Saint Mark are four gilded copper-alloy horses, each 238 cm tall at the head, 131 cm at the withers, 252 cm long and weighing 850–900 kg. They stand in a row facing left, right foreleg raised, with bridle straps and studded collars; short upright manes, pointed ears and slightly open mouths. Greenish patina fills the recesses of the gold-toned metal, and each horse rests on a pale stone block.
The horses came to Venice as war trophies in 1204 after crusaders conquered Constantinople. They had previously stood in the city's Hippodrome, likely since Roman times or earlier.
The collars around the horses' necks were added in 1204 to hide where their heads had been cut off for transport from Constantinople. The four horses are a quadriga, the team used in ancient chariot racing and Roman triumphs. Petrarch admired them on the basilica facade during his visit to Venice in 1364.
The originals are housed in the basilica museum on the first floor since 1982 to protect them from weather damage. Exact replicas now stand in their historic position on the facade, visible to visitors from the square below.
A metallurgical study found a copper content of 96.67 percent, far higher than typical Roman bronzes. This composition suggests Greek craftsmanship, possibly from the Hellenistic period.
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