Why Did Leonardo Promise to Build the World's Largest Horse?

Image: Lattanzio Querena, Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, public domain, Wikimedia Commons

In 1482, Leonardo da Vinci was an established master artist living in Florence. However, he was dissatisfied with the few commissions he had received. He believed that he would have greater opportunities in Milan, so he wrote a letter to Duke Ludovico Sforza as an engineer and designer of military technology (Konieczny, 2018).

In the letter to the Duke, Leonardo explains that he is capable of designing bridges, chariots, and even seafaring war vessels. It’s not until the end of the letter that Leonardo adds that he is capable of sculpture and painting “as well as any other” (p. 47). Ironically, the letter that brought Leonardo to Milan barely mentioned the project that would consume nearly two decades of his life: an enormous bronze horse honoring Ludovico's father, Francesco Sforza. 

The Sforza family had searched for an artist capable of creating a large horse statue in memory of their father for several years (Bush, 1978). Leonardo praised the Duke's late father as deserving of  “immortal glory and eternal honor” (Konieczny, 2018, p. 47) and suggested building a large bronze horse in the senior Sforza’s memory. Other artists had been consulted and dismissed because they wished to use copper plating rather than bronze casting (Bush, 1978). Sforza insisted that his father’s monument be of the highest quality. Leonardo's unusual combination of artistic talent and engineering expertise captured Ludovico's attention, and the Duke entrusted him with one of the most ambitious sculpture commissions of the Renaissance. 

Over the next several years, Leonardo produced numerous sketches and clay studies while continually revising the design. Yet despite years of work, the monument had still not been cast. A frustrated Sforza wrote to Lorenzo de’ Medici asking for recommendations for other skilled sculptors. Whether Ludovico intended to replace Leonardo or simply pressure him into making progress remains uncertain. Whatever his motivation, the strategy appears to have worked. By 1491, Leonardo had completed a full-sized clay model that astonished visitors to Milan (Bush, 1978). At last, his dream of creating the largest bronze equestrian monument ever attempted seemed within reach.

Further Reading

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

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

Konieczny, Peter. (2018). Leonardo da Vinci as Military

Engineer. Medieval Warfare, 7(6), 46–47.