View source for Quadriga

{{Short description|Chariot drawn by four horses}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Wiktionary}}
[[File:Horses of Basilica San Marco bright.jpg|thumb|310px|The [[Horses of Saint Mark]] in [[Venice]]]]
A '''quadriga''' is a car or [[chariot]] drawn by four [[horse]]s abreast and favoured for [[chariot racing]] in [[classical antiquity]] and the [[Roman Empire]]. The word derives from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|quadrigae}}, a contraction of {{lang|la|quadriiugae}}, from ''{{linktext|quadri-}}'': four, and ''{{linktext|iugum}}'': yoke. In Latin the word {{lang|la|quadrigae}} is almost always used in the plural<ref>According to [[Aulus Gellius]] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0072:book=19:chapter=8&highlight=quadriga#note6 19.8], Julius Caesar considered it incorrect to use the word in the singular.</ref> and usually refers to the team of four horses rather than the chariot they pull.<ref>Lewis and Short ''Latin Dictionary'', s.v. [https://logeion.uchicago.edu/quadrigae quadrigae].</ref> In Greek, a four-horse chariot was known as {{lang|grc|τέθριππον}} {{grc-transl|τέθριππον}}.<ref>Liddell, Scott, Jones ''Greek Lexicon'', s.v. [https://logeion.uchicago.edu/%CF%84%CE%AD%CE%B8%CF%81%CE%B9%CF%80%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%82 τέθριππος].</ref>

The four-horse abreast arrangement in a ''quadriga'' is distinct from the more common [[four-in-hand (carriage)|four-in-hand]] array of two horses in the front plus two horses behind those.

''Quadrigae'' were raced in the [[Ancient Olympic Games]] and other contests. They are represented in profile pulling the chariot of [[Greek mythology|gods and heroes]] on [[Greek vase]]s and in [[bas-relief]]. During the festival of the [[Halieia]], the ancient [[Rhodes|Rhodians]] would sacrifice a ''quadriga''-chariot by throwing it into the sea.<ref>[[Lewis Richard Farnell|Farnell, Lewis]], ''The Cults of the Greek States'' Vol. ΙV, [[Cambridge University Press]], 2010, {{ISBN|978-1-108-01546-2}}, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2NQF-MSICWEC&pg=PA20 20, note b].</ref> The ''quadriga'' was adopted in [[Ancient Rome|ancient Roman]] [[chariot racing]].

''Quadrigas'' were emblems of triumph. [[Victoria (mythology)|Victory]] or [[Pheme|Fame]] are often depicted as the triumphant woman driving it. In [[classical mythology]], the ''quadriga'' is the chariot of the gods. The [[Solar deity|god of the Sun]] [[Helios]], often identified with [[Apollo]], the god of light, was depicted driving his ''quadriga'' across the heavens, delivering daylight and dispersing the night.<ref>Smith, s.v. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DH%3Aentry+group%3D6%3Aentry%3Dhelios-bio-1 Helios]</ref>

[[File:Rilievo da monumento onorario di Marco Aurelio trionfo, 176-180.JPG|thumb|[[Marcus Aurelius]] celebrating his [[Roman triumph]] in 176 AD over the enemies of the [[Marcomannic Wars]], from his now destroyed triumphal arch in Rome, [[Capitoline Museums]], 176–180 AD]]

== Classical sculpture ==
[[File:BnF MS Gr510 folio 69 verso - detail - Triumph of Joseph.jpg|thumb|{{Bibleverse|Genesis|41:42-43|KJV}}: "And Pharaoh … made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt." [[Miniature (illuminated manuscript)|Miniature]] from the ''[[Paris Gregory]]'', a 9th-century Greek manuscript, [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]]]]
{{main article|Horses of Saint Mark}}

Modern sculptural ''quadrigas'' are based on the four bronze [[Horses of Saint Mark]] or the "Triumphal ''Quadriga''", a set of equine [[Classical sculpture|Roman or Greek sculptures]].<ref>
Annual Report of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society to the Legislature of the State of New York, Volume 18, by American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, 1913, page 344
</ref>{{qn|date=April 2016}}
Their age is disputed. Originally erected in the [[Hippodrome of Constantinople]], possibly on a [[triumphal arch]], they are now in [[St Mark's Basilica]] in [[Venice]]. 

Venetian [[The Crusades|Crusaders]] looted these sculptures in the [[Fourth Crusade]], which dates them to at least 1204, and placed them on the terrace of [[St Mark's Basilica]]. [[French Revolutionary Wars: Campaigns of 1797|In 1797]], [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]] carried the ''quadriga'' off to Paris. They were returned after Napoleon's fall. Due to the effects of atmospheric pollution, the original ''quadriga'' was retired to a museum and replaced with a replica in the 1980s.

''Quadrigae'' also appear on the [[frieze]] of the [[Libyco-Punic Mausoleum of Dougga]], which dates to the 2nd century BC.
<gallery>
File:Ilion---metopa.jpg|Helios in his chariot, early 4th&nbsp;century&nbsp;BC, [[Athena]]'s temple, [[Troy|Ilion]]
File:Lucanian fresco tomb painting depicting a quadriga, 340-330 BC, [[National Archaeological Museum of Paestum|Paestum Archaeological Museum]] (14416577639).jpg|[[Lucania]]n fresco from [[Paestum]] depicting a ''quadriga'', 340–330 BC ([[National Archaeological Museum of Paestum]])
File:Paestum Quadriga1.JPG|A [[Lucania]]n fresco from [[Paestum]] depicting a ''quadriga'', 4th century BC
File:Detail of Mausolée libyco-punique.jpg|A frieze on the 2nd-century BC [[Libyco-Punic Mausoleum of Dougga]]
File:Bulla d'oro con tinia, giove e minerva su quadriga alata, da vulci, 350 ac ca. 02.JPG|[[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] and [[Minerva]] riding a ''quadriga'' drawn by ''pegasi'' on a 4th-century BC gold [[Etruscan art|Etruscan]] ''[[Bulla (amulet)|bulla]]'', [[Museo Gregoriano Etrusco]]
File:Bodh Gaya quadriga relief.jpg|A relief of a ''quadriga'' of Sun god [[Surya]] at [[Bodh Gaya]], India
File:0458 - Roma, Museo d. civiltà romana - Sarcofago Mattei Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 12-Apr-2008.jpg|[[Apollo]] as the Sun god. Cast of the ''sarcofago matti'' ({{Circa|220 AD}}), [[Museum of Roman Civilization]]
File:8721 - Roma, museo civiltà Romana - Sarcofago di Stilicone - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 12-Apr-2008.jpg|Detail from a [[plaster cast]] of the late 4th-century so-called [[Sarcophagus of Stilicho]], [[Museum of Roman Civilization]]
File:Echiquier de Charlemagne quadrige=tour CdM.jpg|An 11th-century [[rook (chess)|rook]] from Southern Italy in the form of [[Charlemagne]] in a ''quadriga'', from the [[Charlemagne chessmen]], [[Cabinet des Médailles]]
</gallery>

== Variations ==
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 (chronology)|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 [[Hippocampus (mythology)|hippocampi]] (mythological sea-horses).
<gallery>
File:Bardo(js)052.jpg|The triumph of [[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] and [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] in a ''quadriga'' drawn by hippocampi in a mosaic from [[Utica, Tunisia|Utica]] in [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]], [[Bardo National Museum (Tunis)|Bardo National Museum]]
File:Venus sur un char tiré par des élpéhants - Pompéi - Atelier des Feutriers.jpg|[[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] riding in a ''quadriga'' drawn by elephants, 1st-century AD fresco from [[Pompeii]]
File:Medaglione di diocleziano e massimiano ercole, oro, con quadriga di elefanti, soldati e vittoria.JPG|Medallion of the co-''augusti'' [[Diocletian]] and [[Maximian]] ({{Reign|285|305}}) riding in a ''quadriga'' drawn by elephants and crowned by [[Victoria (mythology)|Victory]]
File:9595 - Milano - Museo archeologico - Patera di Parabiago - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 13 Mar 2012.jpg|[[Cybele]] and [[Attis]] riding on a ''quadriga'' drawn by lions on the 4th-century [[Parabiago plate]], [[Archaeological Museum of Milan]]
File:Sculpture Kurfürstendamm 24 (Charl) Buddy Bär 10 Jahre Neues Kranzler Eck.jpg|[[Buddy Bear|Buddy Bear ''Quadriga'']] in Berlin, [[Kurfürstendamm|Kurfürstendamm 21]]
</gallery>

== Modern quadrigas ==
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<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18119242|title=A Point of View: The European dream has become a nightmare|author=|work=BBC News|date=18 May 2012|publisher=}}</ref> 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 I of France|Napoleon]] during his [[War of the Fourth Coalition|occupation of Berlin]] in 1806, and taken to Paris. It was returned to Berlin by Field Marshal [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher|Gebhard von Blücher]] in 1814. Her olive wreath was supplemented with an [[Iron Cross]]. The statue suffered severe damage during the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The association of the Iron Cross with [[Prussia]]n [[militarism]] convinced the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|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.<ref>[http://www.berlin.de/tourismus/sehenswuerdigkeiten.en/28934.html Brandenburg Gate.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224033353/http://www.berlin.de/tourismus/sehenswuerdigkeiten.en/28934.html |date=February 24, 2008 }} Berlin – Offizielles Stadtportal der Hauptstadt Deutschlands – Berlin.de.</ref>
* {{Circa|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 [[Bourbon Restoration in France|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 (Saint Petersburg)|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 ''Quadriga'' on the [[Semperoper]] in [[Dresden]]
* 1845–1848 – The ''quadriga'' on top of [[Thorvaldsen Museum]] in [[Copenhagen]] by [[Herman Wilhelm Bissen]] and Stephan Ussing
* [[File:RIAN archive 101057 The quadriga driven by Apollo.jpg|thumb|The ''quadriga'' driven by [[Apollo]], a sculptural composition on the pediment of the [[Bolshoi Theatre]], [[Moscow]]]]c. 1850 – The ''quadriga'' on the [[Bolshoi Theatre|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 [[Brunswick Palace|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<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://photoarchive.lib.uchicago.edu/db.xqy?one=apf3-00089.xml|title = World's Columbian Exposition : Photographic Archive : The University of Chicago}}</ref> 
* 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 (state)|New York]], lady [[Historical Columbia|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]].<ref>Sprague, Elmer, Brooklyn Public Monuments: Sculpture for Civic Memory and Urban Pride, Dog Ear Publishing, Indianapolis, IN, 2008 p. 76</ref>
* c. 1900 – Two ''quadrigas'' on the [[Grand Palais]] in Paris, the work of French sculptor [[Georges Récipon]]
* 1904<ref>{{cite web|url=https://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=C43S80877649W.2641&profile=ariall&source=~!siartinventories&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!18424~!3&ri=2&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=W.+H.+Mullins+Company,+fabricator.&index=AUTHOR&uindex=&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=2|title=Victory and Progress|first1=John Massey|last1=Rhind|first2=John|last2=Scott|date=31 May 2018|publisher=|via=siris-artinventories.si.edu Library Catalog}}</ref> – ''[[Victory and Progress]]'', horse-drawn chariots by [[J. Massey Rhind]] on the [[Wayne County Building]] in [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], though each of the two chariots is drawn by three instead of the customary four horses.
* [[Image:Progress of the State.jpg|thumb|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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/msc/quadrelatedlinks.html|title=Historic Adventures|author=|date=|website=mnhs.org}}</ref>
* 1911–1935 – The [[Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II]] (Monument of [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]], or ''Altare della Patria'' (Altar of the Nation), or ''Il Vittoriano'') in [[Rome]], [[Italy]], features two statues of goddess [[Victoria (mythology)|Victoria]] riding on ''quadrigas''.
* 1912 – The Wellington Arch ''Quadriga'' is situated atop the [[Wellington Arch]] in London, England. It was designed by [[Adrian Jones (sculptor)|Adrian Jones]]. The sculpture shows a small boy, the son of [[Herbert Stern, 1st Baron Michelham|Lord Michelham]], the man who funded the sculpture, leading the ''quadriga'', with Peace descending upon it from heaven.
* 1919–1923 – The former [[Banco Bilbao Vizcaya (building)|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 {{convert|87|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}.
* 1926 – The [[Palace of Justice, Rome|Palace of Justice]] in [[Rome]], seat of the modern [[Supreme Court of Cassation (Italy)|Supreme Court of Cassation]], features a bronze ''quadriga'' by sculptor [[Ettore Ximenes]].
* 2020 — [[Kentucky State University]] unveiled statue replicas of the [[Horses of Saint Mark|four Horses of Saint Mark]] which were positioned on a rise near the entrance to the university.<ref>{{Cite news |title=KSU unveils rare replica of Quattro Cavalli statue |url=https://www.state-journal.com/education/ksu-unveils-rare-replica-of-quattro-cavalli-statue/article_3e0d0b92-e5fe-11ea-be9a-2b1fd3a4476d.html |date=August 24, 2020 |newspaper=[[The State Journal (Kentucky)|State Journal]]}}</ref>
* 2002 – The [[Warsaw]]'s [[Grand Theatre, Warsaw|Grand Theatre]] features a ''quadriga'' reflecting the original [[Antonio Corazzi]]'s 1833 plans for the building, but not commissioned and executed until 2002.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Brandenburg Gate Quadriga at Night.jpg|[[Brandenburg Gate]] ''Quadriga'' at night
File:Roma Vittoriano - Quadriga dell'Unità.jpg|The ''Quadriga dell'Unità'' at [[Vittoriano]], Rome
File:London-Wellington-Arch-P1130943.jpg|''Quadriga'', [[Wellington Arch]], London
File:Triomfboog Jubelpark 4.JPG|''Brabant Raising the National Flag'' or ''Quadriga of Brabant'', [[Parc du Cinquantenaire]], Brussels
File:Peace riding in a triumphal chariot Bosio Carrousel - 2012-05-28.jpg|''Quadriga'', [[Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel]], Paris
File:Teatr Wielki w Warszawie p7 3.jpg|''Quadriga'', [[Grand Theatre, Warsaw|Grand Theatre]], Warsaw
File:Moscow 05-2017 img27 Bolshoy Theatre quadriga.jpg|A ''quadriga'' sculpted by [[Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg]] at [[Bolshoi Theater]]
File:Quadriga at the Columbian World's Fair.jpeg|''Quadriga'' by [[Daniel Chester French]], [[World's Columbian Exposition]], 1893
File:Progress of the State St. Paul 5.jpg|Daniel Chester French and [[Edward Clark Potter]], [[Minnesota State Capitol]], 1905
File:Arco della Pace - panoramio.jpg|The Seiugae of the [[Arch of Peace]] in Milan
File:Quadriga - Barcelona - Spain - Europe.JPG|''Quadriga'' in the [[Parc de la Ciutadella]] in Barcelona
File:JMRWayneCoBldg2.jpg|[[Wayne County Building]], Detroit, Michigan, by [[J. Massey Rhind]]
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Horses of Saint Mark]] in Venice, remnants of a quadriga of Constantinople taken by [[Enrico Dandolo]].
*''[[Biga (chariot)|Biga]]'', the ancient two-horse chariot.
*[[Trigarium]] (triga)
*[[Troika (driving)|Troika]]
*[[Coach (carriage)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Quadriga}}

==External links==
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Quadriga}}
*[http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/circusmaximus/quadrigae.html Quadriga] Encyclopaedia Romana. [[University of Chicago]]
*[http://www.xs4all.nl/~sp88k/Coin/Traveler/Objects/Quadriga.htm Quadriga] 
*{{in lang|de}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20040803035226/http://www.berlin.de/tourismus/sehenswuerdigkeiten/00022.html Berlin.de: Brandenburger Tor, Pariser Platz, Quadriga]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chariots]]
[[Category:Architectural sculpture]]
[[Category:Ancient chariot racing]]
[[Category:History of sculpture]]
[[Category:Ancient Roman vehicles]]
[[Category:Helios]]