Leonardo da Vinci proposed bronze for his colossal equestrian monument to Francesco Sforza.
The Duke of Milan commissioned Leonardo to create a huge horse monument in the late 15th century. Leonardo planned a sculpture roughly 7 metres high, far larger than most existing equestrian statues of the period.
He developed an innovative clay model and studied the horse’s anatomy, posture, and proportions. Leonardo also devised a complex method for casting the monument in bronze, requiring an enormous amount of metal.
The final bronze statue was never completed. The bronze intended for the project was diverted to manufacture weapons when Milan faced military danger, and the clay model was later destroyed.