The quadriga located atop the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow in 1793 as the Quad
The quadriga located atop the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, 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). 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 subsequently supplemented with an Iron Cross. The statue suffered severe damage during the Second World War, and 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. A quadriga (Latin quadri-, four, and iugum, yoke) is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast (the Roman Empire's equivalent of Ancient Greek tethrippon). It was raced in the Ancient Olympic Games and other contests. It is represented in profile as the chariot of gods and heroes on Greek vases and in bas-relief. The quadriga was adopted in ancient Roman chariot racing. Quadrigas were emblems of triumph; Victory and Fame often are depicted as the triumphant woman driving it. In classical mythology, the quadriga is the chariot of the gods; Apollo was depicted driving his quadriga across the heavens, delivering daylight and dispersing the night.
Size: 3872px × 2479px
Location: Unter den Linden, Ebertstraße, Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Photo credit: © Phillip Thomas / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ancient, architecture, berlin, brandenburg, brandenburger, chariot, charriot, den, ebertstraß, europe, gate, germany, linden, mitte, monument, quadriga, sculpture, statue, tor, unter
