The Horse, Sculpture in Milan, Italy
Leonardo's Horse is a large bronze sculpture of a stallion located on the grounds of the San Siro racetrack in Milan. The figure stands upright and depicts the animal without a rider, which gives it a self-contained presence.
Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, commissioned Leonardo da Vinci in 1482 to create a giant equestrian monument, but the project was never completed due to the wars in northern Italy. Centuries later, American sculptor Nina Akamu built the work from Leonardo's own sketches, and it was installed in Milan in 1999.
The sculpture stands on the grounds of the San Siro racetrack, a place with a long tradition of horse racing in Milan. This setting gives the work a natural connection to the living world of horses that visitors can feel immediately.
The work is outdoors on the San Siro racetrack grounds, so it is best seen in good weather. It is worth checking whether the grounds are open on the day of your visit, as the racetrack is an active venue.
The bronze casting for the horse was made in the United States and then brought to Milan. A second version of the sculpture stands in Grand Rapids, Michigan, so the work exists on two continents at once.
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