Leonardo da Vinci planned the Gran Cavallo, a giant bronze horse intended as a monument in Milan.
The project was commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, in the late fifteenth century to honor his father, Francesco Sforza. Leonardo spent years studying horse anatomy and preparing drawings and a large clay model. The proposed sculpture would have been approximately 7 metres tall, making it one of the largest equestrian monuments ever planned.
Leonardo developed a sophisticated casting plan for the bronze, but the project was never completed. The bronze reserved for the horse was redirected to cannon production when Milan faced military pressure from France. The clay model was later destroyed during the French occupation of Milan.
The monument is commonly called Gran Cavallo, meaning “great horse.” It is not the same as Leonardo’s mechanical lion or his armored mechanical knight. Modern replicas, including one unveiled in Milan in 1999, are based on surviving drawings and research into the lost project.