Leonardo's Bronze Horse
In 1977 National Geographic published an article entitled The Horse That Never Was. The article
described Da Vinci's conception of the Sforza equestrian monument and told the story of the destruction of his model in 1499.A pilot and art collector Charles Dent read that article and conceived a dream to build Leonardo's Horse - Il Cavallo - and give it to the Italian people as a thank you gift for the treasures of the Renaissance.
Dent assembled an extraordinary team of Renaissance scholars, sculptors, metallurgists and individual and corporate donors and set out to make dream come true.
He reached deep into his own pockets, even selling some of his art collection to raise funds to, as he was fond of saying,"keep the horse in hay." As the project gained momentum, it began to attract significant global media attention, and by August 1992, the Tallix Art Foundry succeeded in creating a full size model of Il Caravallo
Ironically, Charles Dent died when the horse was in the same phase of production - model created and acclaimed - but not yet cast as when it was destroyed by the Gascon archers.
Il Caravallo is scheduled to be unveiled in Milan on September 10, 1999 five hundred years from the day the original model was destroyed
The goals of this project are to honor the genius of Leonardo and pay homage to him by building a colossal horse based on his drawings; to recognize all Italians for enriching every aspect of our society by presenting the Horse to the Italian people as a gift from America people. The gift will acknowledge the immense cultural, artistic and scientific legacy of the Italian Renaissance which, in America today, continue to inspire our curiosity, imagination and creativity.In a broader context, the significance of the Horse, much like the Statue of Liberty, goes beyond national frontiers. Il Caravallo will stand for a thousand years as a symbol of permanence against the destructiveness of war and as a symbol of friendship between nations.
If you would like to participate in this historic project, contact Leonardo da Vinci's Horse, Inc PO Box 396 Fogelsville PA 18051-0396 Telephone 610 395 4060. See you in Milan!
Used with permission from Michael Gelb
Published by Delacorte Press
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group
1540 Broadway
New York, NY 10036 Copyright (c) 1998 Michael Gelb
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN A CHANGING WORLD
the monumental casting of
Leonardo's Bronze Horse
to give a glimpse of it's size.
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