Study of Horse

In 1482, Ludovico il Moro, the Duke of Milan, commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to create a sculpture. It was intended to be the largest equestrian statue in the world, a monument to the duke's father Francesco. Leonardo did extensive preparatory work for it, but produced only a clay model, which was destroyed by French soldiers when they invaded Milan in 1499, interrupting the project. Leonardo had made numerous small sketches of horses to help illustrate his notes about the complex procedures for molding and casting this project. About five centuries later, Leonardo's surviving design materials were used as the basis for sculptures intended to bring the project to fruition.