Rearing Horse and Mounted Warrior

Rearing Horse and Mounted Warrior is a statuette attributed to Leonardo da Vinci from his final years. It was constructed entirely from bronze and is believed to have been commissioned by donors based in France.

Introduction

Leonardo is far more famous in other disciplines, such as painting, drawing and invention, but he did become involved in sculpture, with Rearing Horse and Mounted Warrior likely being one of those. The great master was passionate about anatomy, both human and animal, with horses specifically appearing many times within his detailed studies.

The artist was interested in movement, and how to depict it within the visual arts. Horses were ideally suited to this, and he realised that sculpture could bring new opportunities to his work, because of its third dimension and the challenges that this would bring. Drawings remain from his career which are similar to the final statue, and are believed by many to have been preparatory designs.

Da Vinci worked on the preparations for an important horse monument in the 1480s, though that piece would never be completed. He would continue to study horses for years after that, and eventually would work for French King Francis I, who asked him to produce small statuettes based on some of the drawings that he had already shown the monarch.

The artist was very old by the time that he went to France, and sadly he would not live much longer. He limited himself to drawing, and encouraged others to continue his work and translate some of these designs into sculptures. He was able to oversee their production, and it is believed that Rearing Horse and Mounted Warrior is likely to have come from around this period. Some have argued that the rider actually represents the King himself.

Throughout his career, the artist was highly interested in nature, and its inner workings. Anatomy was a key part of that, and Leonardo would study both the aesthetic beauty of various creatures, but also examine each one's physical peculiarities. Alongside horses, his notes also includes sketches of bears, dogs, wolves and many different species of birds.

It was only relatively recently that all of these notes were collated and documented, allowing us to get a much better picture of the full scope of Da Vinci's career. For many centuries the artist and innovator was only really known as a painter, with prominent titles such as Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and Lady with an Ermine. Today, we can also learn more about his sculptures, drawings, inventions and scientific discoveries.

This article examines the Da Vinci sculpture in full, examining its content, as well as the size and medium of the final piece. We place it within Da Vinci's use of statues and his career overall. We also mention the views of different art historians and their opposing views on its attribution, although most accept this piece as a genuine Da Vinci work. Our sculptures sections offers an overview of his work in this discipline, which is sometimes forgotten in favour of other parts of his oeuvre.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Leonardo's Horse Drawings
4. Description
5. Attribution
6. Location
7. Size and Medium
8. References

Background

Da Vinci had been interested in sculptures of horses for many decades, but it was after his relocation to France that he increased his focus on this topic. Previously he had planned a number of monuments that were never completed, but had spent the time wisely learning and understanding more about the anatomy of the horse. This creature held symbolic values within the Renaissance, in terms of strength and grace, but the artist was also generally interested in it himself because of its connection to movement, which was a key factor in his uniqueness.

Commission

Leonardo da Vinci would make a number of horse statuettes for King Francis I of France, having moved from Italy in 1516. The artist had sketched horses for many decades, but would give this particular animal an increased focus in his last few years, mainly due to the request of the French King. The artist's health started to deteriorate by this point, and so he was forced to oversee the work of others on occasion, who could bring some of his designs to life.

Many references within France would mention some of Da Vinci's work with horse designs whilst working for Francis I, adding strength to many of the claims of attribution made today. It is likely that Rearing Horse and Mounted Warrior derives specifically from his time in France, and that the sculpture was cast at around the same time.

Leonardo's Horse Drawings

As early as the 1480s, artist Leonardo was commissioned to produce projects that included horses prominently. This included a large monument for the Duke of Milan Ludovico il Moro, though that piece was never completed. As such, it was essential for him to develop a strong understanding of the anatomy of this creature, though he was already motivated to do so because of his curiosity around horses from an artistic perspective.

His notes and sketches run into the thousands from across his career and studies of horses can be found many times within this archive. He used silverpoint early in his career, before switching to pen and ink and then chalk in later years, but the former was superior in terms of understanding discipline and precision as a draughtsman. A number of his horse study drawings have since been turned into monuments by his followers and other art historians, as recently as the 20th century.

Description

Leonardo da Vinci's Rearing Horse and Mounted Rider, also sometimes known as his Budapest horse because of its present owners, features a horse and rider, the latter of which can be detached and re-attached. The two elements were cast separately, and are hollow inside, making the overall piece fairly light in weight.

The Horse

This small sculpture features a horse rising into the air, with its weight firmly on its back legs. Its hooves are angled to the floor, with its tail pointing upwards to give an impression of movement. Its head leans to one side, and there is none of the elegance of this creature which could be found in drawings by the artist.

The Rider

A careful examination of the rider reveals that he is wearing a helmet and shield, with an additional sword that has since been lost. The style of these items is of a Greek theme, and many Italian artists in the Renaissance would use classical culture as a means of inspiration. The rider wears simple clothing, without considerable amounts of armour, and this may have been a deliberate choice by Da Vinci in order to portray the figure as brave, whilst also allowing him to incorporate muscle structure.

Attribution

This bronze sculpture is generally accepted as a Da Vinci sculpture, holding a stronger attribution to the great master than perhaps any other creation in this discipline. Many respected experts on his career have backed up claims from the early 20th century about this connection, with few against.

That said, there are still some elements of it that some have questioned, but the sheer weight of support in its favour provides us with enough confidence to consider it one of his own. Leonardo wrote in his notes about an intention to produce a statuette of a similar design, which is likely to be just what we find here. A number of research projects have been completed in recent years and, if anything, have added support to this having been from the hands of the Renaissance master.

It is important to point out that a number of other small statuettes have also been linked to Da Vinci over the past two centuries, but these have all been dismissed over time, and enjoyed fair less supporting evidence than the statue in front of us here. It is believed that the piece was constructed in the artist's final years, and may have been evidence of his experimentation in later life.

Leonardo's Horse Sculptures

A number of other horse sculptures have been attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, some of which bear similarities with the item included here. Some of these hold titles such as the Limerick horse and the New York horse, and the three have been exhibited together at the NGA in 2009. Discussions continue over the correct attribution of each item, with a mixture of views continuing to be expressed from respected experts.

Location

Leonardo da Vinci's Rearing Horse and Mounted Warrior can be found at the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary. This important art institution was set up in the early 20th century and its collection has slowly grown, now including some impressive highlights such as Horse Frightened by a Thunderstorm by Eugène Delacroix, a number of items from the career of Giambattista Pittoni, plus also works by the likes of Raphael, Sebastiano del Piombo, Bronzino and Tintoretto.

Size and Medium

This statuette measures 24 cm × 15 cm × 28 cm (9.4 in × 5.9 in × 11 in). It was produced using bronze, and is one of very few sculptures attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. The great master was much more prolific and experienced within other disciplines, such as painting, drawing, science and mathematics.

References

• Leonardo. The Complete Paintings and Drawings, Frank Zöllner & Johannes Nathan, Taschen
• Leonardo da Vinci, Walter Isaacson