by Kristin Berkery
Hollywood Hoofbeats by Petrine Day Mitchum
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War Horse and Those Amazing Equine Actors
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Art
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Currier & Ives: Celebrating Horses of a Bygone Era
by Kristin Berkery
The Currier & Ives print,
The Road, Winter (1853).
There’s a happy feeling
Nothing in the world can buy
When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie
It’ll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives
These wonderful things are the things
We remember all through our lives! (more…)
The Horse Tamers of the Anichkov Bridge in St. Petersburg
by Kristin Berkery
Anichkov Bridge in St. Petersburg, Russia. Photo by Potekhin
The newest bridge was built in 1906, but its most famous features, the horse tamer statues, were created in the mid-1800s upon the order of Tsar Nicholas I. The sculptor, Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg (known as Pyotr Karlovich Klodt in Russia), was commissioned in 1842 to create lifelike sculptures of men taming wild horses to symbolize mankind’s struggle against the elements. Two were given as gifts to the King of Naples who had them installed at the gates of the Royal Palace, and two were given to the King of Prussia, where they adorned the Royal Palace at Berlin. (The Naples statues are still standing at the Royal Palace; the German statues can now be seen at Heinrich von Kleist Park in Berlin.) In 1849-50, four additional statues were created and placed on the four corners of the Anichkov Bridge.
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What is a quadriga?
by Kristin Berkery
The ancient Triumphal Quadriga displayed inside the museum of St. Mark's Basilica.
One of the most common teams used in ancient chariot racing was the quadriga, or four-horse chariot. The quadriga is often found in artwork on vases, friezes (bas relief sculptures on the fronts of ancient buildings), and as statues adorning bridges or arches. Ancient Romans believed the sun was the god Apollo driving a quadriga across the sky each day.
The oldest surviving quadriga, the Triumphal Quadriga, stood at the Hippodrome of Constantinople and may be around 1,700 years old. Although it’s called a quadriga, it does not include a chariot and driver. It was moved to St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice in the 13th century, where it remained until Napoleon ordered that it be sent to Paris to stand at the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel near the Louvre for about 15 years.
The Brandenburg Gate quadriga in Berlin. The Iron Cross near the top is a symbol of Prussian rule. Image by א (Aleph) from the Wikimedia Commons
Many other quadrigas can be found around the world, most of which are based on the Triumphal Quadriga. One of the most famous is on the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, which Napoleon also took to Paris around the same time as the Triumphal Quadriga. The Brandenburg quadriga was returned to Berlin after Napoleon’s defeat where it became a symbol of Prussian rule and later the Nazi political machine. Newly renovated, the Brandenburg quadriga can still be seen in its original location.
When the Triumphal Quadriga was returned to Venice in 1815, it was replaced atop the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel by another similar quadriga with a chariot driven by the angel of peace and flanked by two winged victories.
The quadriga atop the Wellington Arch in London. Photo by ChrisO in the Wikimedia Commons
There is also a quadriga on the front of the Bolshoi Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia; atop the Grand Army Plaza in New York City; above the entrance of the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul; and two quadrigas appear on the Wayne County Building in Detroit, Michigan.
The Buddy Bear Quadriga in Berlin. Photo by Dorisrieck
Below is a video with a pictorial history of the Triumphal Quadriga, also known as the Horses of St. Mark’s.
Leonardo’s Horse: A Dream 500 Years in the Making
by Kristin Berkery
Da Vinci’s dream of a 24-foot-tall horse statue took 500 years to become reality.
The American Horse statue at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Photo by Michael Reed
A 24-foot-tall clay model of the horse statue, named Gran Cavallo, was unveiled in 1493. Over the previous 10 years, da Vinci had been busy collecting 58,000 pounds of tin and copper for the eventual casting of the sculpture, but a French invasion put his plans on hold. The tin and copper were made into cannons and the huge clay model was destroyed in 1499 by French soldiers. Da Vinci fled Milan, reportedly with a broken heart at knowing his great horse would never be made.
One of da Vinci's early sketches of the Gran Cavallo statue.
Nearly 500 years later, an American retired airline pilot named Charles C. Dent read the story of “Leonardo’s horse” in a 1977 issue of National Geographic and was inspired to make the enormous statue a reality. His dream was to create the world’s largest bronze horse statue, which he named Il Cavallo, and give it to the city of Milan. He sought donations and advice from various scholars on whether the full-size statue was feasible. In 1982, he established the nonprofit Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse Inc. to ensure the project’s completion.
Dent died in 1994 but the project continued to move forward. A new sculptor, Nina Akamu, was brought in to create a new eight-foot-tall master model in 1997. Billionaire Frederik Meijer (of Meijer supermarket fame) got involved around that time and offered to finance the creation of an identical statue that would remain in the U.S. It was agreed that the copy, called American Horse, would stand in the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Meijer’s financial contribution helped to ensure that the entire project, including the statue to be given to Italy, would be a success.
American Horse
Photo by Michael Reed
The project cost about $2.5 million and took 500 years and countless people to come to fruition.
Vital statistics on the American Horse:
- 24 feet tall at the highest point
- weighs 15 tons
- made of silicon bronze, alloy #872
- engineered to withstand high winds and earthquakes
A 12-foot bronze replica was dedicated to Charles Dent on October 5, 2002, in Dent’s hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania. An eight-foot statue was given to the city of Vinci, Italy, the hometown of Leonardo da Vinci, and another eight-foot statue can be seen at the Sculpture Education Center at Meijer Gardens. An eight-foot fiberglass copy travels around the country to promote the project and the friendship between the U.S. and Italy.
In all, the project cost about $2.5 million and took 500 years and countless people to come to fruition. The result is the world’s largest horse sculpture and a truly majestic sight. To see photos of all the statues from the Leonardo’s Horse project, visit Travelogue of an Armchair Traveller. Learn about the project’s creation and view a slide show of photos at Da Vinci Science Center. See additional photos of the bronze’s fabrication at the Pollich Tallix Foundry in Beacon, New York.