Venice
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Katerina Wilczynski (1894-1978) was born in Poland and worked in Germany. She worked as a painter, illustrator and etcher. While she produced portraits and cityscapes she mainly worked as a landscape artist.
Read on
This drawing in pen and india ink represents the four bronze horses of St. Mark, which are placed at the top of St. Mark's Basilica. These horses date back to Classical Antiquity. For a long period of their history they were displayed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople. In 1204 Doge Enrico Dandolo (1107?-1205) sent the horses back to Venice as part of the look sacked from Constantinople. They were installed on the Basilica in about 1254. The installation of these horses on the relgious centre of Venice, St. Mark's, made them a symbol of the power of this city state. This sense of dominance is conveyed in the viewpoint of the drawing, looking up at the horses, who stand triumphantly raising their right front legs. The use of india ink conveys the strong contours of these sculpted forms against the ornate architectural backdrop.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- E.856-2000
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
