The Politics Behind Leonardo's Giant Horse

Image: Attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Behind the scenes, Ludovico Sforza was quietly calculating his own place in history. While Leonardo calculated the size of the horse and the bronze required to cast it, Ludovico calculated something else entirely: how to become Duke of Milan. Ludovico hoped to replace the current Duke, his nephew, Gian Galeazzo. In 1493, Ludovico paid Emperor Maximilian  10,000 florins and arranged the marriage of his niece, Biana Maria, to the Emperor (Bush, 1978). 

With the negotiations complete, events unfolded quickly. The marriage between Bianca Maria and Emperor Maximilian was held in 1493. In the early fall of 1494, Ludovico was publicly named Duke of Milan. Just weeks later, Gian Galeazzo died unexpectedly. Bush (1978) notes that the timing was remarkably "convenient" for Ludovico (p. 58), a coincidence that fueled suspicions for centuries. 

By 1494, everything seemed to be falling into place. Ludovico had achieved the position he had spent years pursuing, and Leonardo's enormous clay horse stood ready to be cast in bronze. Then France invaded Italy. The bronze intended for Leonardo's masterpiece suddenly had a far more urgent purpose. 

Further Reading

Bush, Virginia I. (1978). Leonardo's Sforza Monument and

Cinquecento Sculpture. Arte Lombarda, 50, 47–68.