The Horses Of Saint Marks

Author : Charles Freeman
Publisher : Abrams
ISBN 13 : 1468303023
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.25/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Horses of St. Mark's written by Charles Freeman and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2010-08-12 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The noted historian explores the mysterious origins and surprising adventures of four iconic bronze statues as they appear and reappear through the ages. In July 1798, a triumphant procession made its way through the streets of Paris. Echoing the parades of Roman emperors many years before, Napoleon Bonaparte was proudly displaying the spoils of his recent military adventures. There were animals—caged lions and dromedaries—as well as tropical plants. Among the works of art on show, one stood out: four horses of gilded metal, taken by Napoleon from their home in Venice. The Horses of St Mark's have found themselves at the heart of European history time and time again: in Constantinople, at both its founding and sacking in the Fourth Crusade; in Venice, at both the height of its greatness and fall in 1797; in the Paris of Napoleon, and the revolutions of 1848; and back in Venice, the most romantic city in the world. Charles Freeman offers a fascinating account of both the statues themselves and the societies through which they have travelled and been displayed. As European society has developed from antiquity to the present day, these four horses have stood and watched impassively. This is the story of their—and our—times.

Author : Charles Freeman
Publisher : Little Brown GBR
ISBN 13 : 9780316861182
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.89/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Horses of Saint Mark's written by Charles Freeman and published by Little Brown GBR. This book was released on 2004 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much of the facade of St Mark's Basilica has changed since Venice's medieval heyday, but the four horses on the loggia above the main entrance still dominate the square as they did in the 15th century. They are the only team of four horses to survive from antiquity. Their origin is uncertain - they were probably cast in the 2nd century AD in Greece or Rome - their journey through history has been remarkable. Wherever they have been displayed the horses have been central as both symbols of beauty and power. The first written reference we have to them is in 4th Century Constantinople where they represented the Emperor's divine connection. They were then plundered by the Doge of Venice when he torched the city during the fourth crusade. When Napoleon invaded in 1797 the horses were at the top of his shopping list and on their removal to Paris they were at the front of his imperial triumph. The magnificent beasts have been witnesses, therefore, to some of the most tumultuous events in European history. Reading this highly original book is to see these events through the eyes of one of the great international works of art.

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 284 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Horses of San Marco, Venice written by and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Ottavio Vittori
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 114 pages
Book Rating : 4.07/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Four Golden Horses in the Sun written by Ottavio Vittori and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Salvatore Settis
Publisher : House of Anansi
ISBN 13 : 1487001576
Total Pages : 192 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book If Venice Dies written by Salvatore Settis and published by House of Anansi. This book was released on 2016-09-10 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the tradition of Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities comes an urgent plea from internationally renowned art historian Salvatore Settis to preserve Venice’s future. What is Venice worth? To whom does this urban treasure belong? Venetians are increasingly abandoning their hometown — there’s now only one resident for every 140 visitors — and Venice’s fragile fate has become emblematic of the future of historic cities everywhere as it capitulates to tourists and those who profit from them. In If Venice Dies, a fiery blend of history and cultural analysis, internationally renowned art historian Savatore Settis argues that “hit-and-run” visitors are turning landmark urban settings into shopping malls and theme parks. He warns that Western civilization’s prime achievements face impending ruin from mass tourism and global cultural homogenization. This is a passionate plea to secure Venice’s future, written with consummate authority, wide-ranging erudition, and élan.

Author : Rick Steves
Publisher : Rick Steves
ISBN 13 : 9781641712231
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.36/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces written by Rick Steves and published by Rick Steves. This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore Europe's top 100 works of art with America's most trusted travel authority, Rick Steves. Travel through time and discover Europe's most iconic paintings, sculptures, and historic buildings. From Venus to Versailles, Apollo to David, and Mona Lisa to The Thinker, Rick and co-author Gene Openshaw will have you marveling, learning, and laughing, one masterpiece at a time. Whether you're traveling to Europe or just dreaming about it, this book both stokes your wanderlust and kindles a greater appreciation of art, with historical context and information on where to see it for yourself. With Rick's trusted insight and gorgeous, full-color photos throughout, Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces celebrates nearly 20,000 years of unforgettable art.

Author : Roger Crowley
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 0679644261
Total Pages : 464 pages
Book Rating : 4.62/5 ( download)

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Download or read book City of Fortune written by Roger Crowley and published by Random House. This book was released on 2012-01-24 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The rise and fall of Venice’s empire is an irresistible story and [Roger] Crowley, with his rousing descriptive gifts and scholarly attention to detail, is its perfect chronicler.”—The Financial Times The New York Times bestselling author of Empires of the Sea charts Venice’s astounding five-hundred-year voyage to the pinnacle of power in an epic story that stands unrivaled for drama, intrigue, and sheer opulent majesty. City of Fortune traces the full arc of the Venetian imperial saga, from the ill-fated Fourth Crusade, which culminates in the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, to the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1499–1503, which sees the Ottoman Turks supplant the Venetians as the preeminent naval power in the Mediterranean. In between are three centuries of Venetian maritime dominance, during which a tiny city of “lagoon dwellers” grow into the richest place on earth. Drawing on firsthand accounts of pitched sea battles, skillful negotiations, and diplomatic maneuvers, Crowley paints a vivid picture of this avaricious, enterprising people and the bountiful lands that came under their dominion. From the opening of the spice routes to the clash between Christianity and Islam, Venice played a leading role in the defining conflicts of its time—the reverberations of which are still being felt today. “[Crowley] writes with a racy briskness that lifts sea battles and sieges off the page.”—The New York Times “Crowley chronicles the peak of Venice’s past glory with Wordsworthian sympathy, supplemented by impressive learning and infectious enthusiasm.”—The Wall Street Journal

Author : Garry Wills
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0671047647
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.41/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Venice: Lion City written by Garry Wills and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2002-09-03 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in paperback, Wills's acclaimed book presents a new way of relating the history of the city through its art and, in turn, illuminates the art through the city's history. Illustrated with more than 130 works of art, 30 in full color.

Author : David W. Anthony
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400831105
Total Pages : 568 pages
Book Rating : 4.04/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Horse, the Wheel, and Language written by David W. Anthony and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-26 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roughly half the world's population speaks languages derived from a shared linguistic source known as Proto-Indo-European. But who were the early speakers of this ancient mother tongue, and how did they manage to spread it around the globe? Until now their identity has remained a tantalizing mystery to linguists, archaeologists, and even Nazis seeking the roots of the Aryan race. The Horse, the Wheel, and Language lifts the veil that has long shrouded these original Indo-European speakers, and reveals how their domestication of horses and use of the wheel spread language and transformed civilization. Linking prehistoric archaeological remains with the development of language, David Anthony identifies the prehistoric peoples of central Eurasia's steppe grasslands as the original speakers of Proto-Indo-European, and shows how their innovative use of the ox wagon, horseback riding, and the warrior's chariot turned the Eurasian steppes into a thriving transcontinental corridor of communication, commerce, and cultural exchange. He explains how they spread their traditions and gave rise to important advances in copper mining, warfare, and patron-client political institutions, thereby ushering in an era of vibrant social change. Anthony also describes his fascinating discovery of how the wear from bits on ancient horse teeth reveals the origins of horseback riding. The Horse, the Wheel, and Language solves a puzzle that has vexed scholars for two centuries--the source of the Indo-European languages and English--and recovers a magnificent and influential civilization from the past.

Author : Jane Smiley
Publisher : Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN 13 : 0375894152
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.52/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Good Horse written by Jane Smiley and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2010-10-26 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When eighth grader Abby Lovitt looks out at those pure-gold rolling hills, she knows there’s no place she’d rather be than her family’s ranch—even with all the hard work of tending to nine horses. But some chores are no work at all, like grooming young Jack. At eight months, his rough foal coat has shed out, leaving a smooth, rich silk, like chocolate. As for Black George, such a good horse, it turns out he’s a natural jumper. When he and Abby clear four feet easy as pie, heads start to turn at the ring—buyers’ heads—and Abby knows Daddy won’t turn down a good offer. Then a letter arrives from a private investigator, and suddenly Abby stands to lose not one horse but two. The letter states that Jack’s mare may have been sold to the Lovitts as stolen goods. A mystery unfolds, more surprising than Abby could ever expect. Will she lose her beloved Jack to his rightful owners? Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley raises horses of her own, and her affection and expertise shine through in this inviting horse novel for young readers, set in 1960s California horse country and featuring characters from The Georges and the Jewels.