The Ironic Story Of The Magnificent Bronze Horse That Became A War Machine
In 1482 a young artist born in the town Vinci came to Milan from Florence for an audience with Ludovicio Sforza the Duke of Milan. This brash young man came with designs for âfearsome war machinesâ such as chariots, catapults and a cannon on swivel mounts which would he said âbring great terror to the enemyââ.
The Duke became his patron and put him to work designing costumes and special effects for dramatic productions.
When he learned that Ludovicio was looking for someone to create a huge bronze equestrian statue in memory of his father he convinced the duke that he could do what other Artists and sculptors claimed was impossible. And in 1484 he was given the commission to construct a colossal Bronze sculpture.
His grandiose plan: a horse and rider with the horse on hind legs pawing the air above a prostrate foe. The horse alone would be 23 feet tall.
For 9 years he worked on creating this masterpiece.
He constructed a core made of clay, fashioned roughly into the shape of the statue. He covered it in a layer of wax which he then sculpted with finer details. He covered it in a rough Outer shell consisting of cow dung and other ingredients.
