The Horse, by Leonardo da Vinci Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, Italy, commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to create the biggest horse statue ever made in order to honor his father. For the people who had the privilege of witnessing this work-in- progress it must have been a very grand and luminous form, standing 24 foot high.Leonardo spent years sketching and perfecting his tribute. Tragically, conflicts with the French began before the massive statue could be completed. In 1499, Leonardo fled the hostilities, leaving the horse to be used as target practice by French archers. Remarkably, either through coincidence or forethought Leonardo left specific notes giving instructions on how he wanted it cast in bronze, (80 tons). History shows he was kept very busy, however, I wonder if he had the insight to realize that one day some future generation would bring a conclusion to the idea he proposed.* Successfully, interlocking the present to the past.Personally, I see a finished clay statue that stood as a reminder of an innovative, yet turbulent period. A masterpiece that has waited patiently for five hundred years for a different coating to be added by a society linked by their passion and amazement for what went before.* September 10, 1999, the 24 ft statue was placed on a pedestal of Carrara marble in Milan, Italy, (500 years to the day that the archers shot the model to pieces,) a gift from America to Italy. Smithsonian Museum...
