The story of the four Horses of St. Mark's has been intertwined with the history of Venice from the time of their arrival in the city in the 13th century as plunder from the Venetian sack of Constantinople. Massive, superbly sculpted in nearly pure copper, with gilding that has worn to a timeless patina, they have intrigued historians, archaeologists, and conquerors ever since as the sole surviving example of a once-popular symbol of prestige in the ancient world. Charles Freeman tells their story over 800 years, following them from Constantinople, where they may have been made, to their "home" in Venice, to their appropriation by Napoleon for his 1798 parade through Paris, to their return to St. Mark's.