Accession number
MG 037
Date made
16th century AD
Materials
Bronze; Copper Alloy; Metal
Collection
Dimensions (cm)
Provenance
File of material relating to a figure of a horse, after Leonardo da Vinci. Includes photocopy of information card with photocopy of image of object (date unspecified). Mentions that reference to object published in '50 Treasures from the Hunt Collection' (Limerick: Hunt Museum Executive, 1993) by Patrick Doran; photocopy of relevant extract from this publication is present. Doran writes of the various theories put forward about the horse, for instance, that it is one of four similar horses and that each seems to be derived from the same model. Also, that there has been much discussion about relationship of these pieces to one of Leonardos drawings of a rearing horse, preserved in Windsor Castle; extract taken from exhibition notes for visitors to the Hunt Museum which describe present object (date unspecified); photocopy of extract from exhibition catalogue (date unspecified), 'Dawn of the Golden Age, 1540-1620, partly sponsored by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, which contains images and description of a mounted warrior dated to circa 1610-20, held by the J. Paul Getty Museum, California, and attributed to Hendrick de Keyser; photocopy of extract from unidentified publication. Chapter title is possibly 'The Art Game.' Extract comprises section named 'Discoveries and How to Discover Them' which refers to and contains image of a figure of a horse, similar to present object and also thought to be related to the drawings by Leonardo at Windsor Castle. The figure discussed in the extract was discovered by Pierre Jeannerat in 1933; photocopy of extract from catalogue for a Victoria and Albert exhibition of Italian bronze statuettes (c. 1961) which contains image and description of Jeannerats figure; photocopy of extract from 'The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest: Guide' (Budapest: Corvina, c. 1995) edited by Szilvia Bodnar which contains image and description of similar object held by this museum. Notes that it was 'purchased from the bequest of 1st-van Ferenczy, 1914'; extract from Sothebys catalogue of sale, and photocopy of same (5 December 1966), which describes 'An Italian bronze figure of a rearing horse, finely modelled after Leonardo da Vinci.' Annotation questions if this is the Hunt Museum horse; three photocopies of extracts from 'Leonardo da Vinci - the artist' second edition (London: Phaidon, 1945) by Ludwig Goldschneider which contain images of sketches of horses both by Leonardo and from the School of Leonardo; photocopy of extract from 'Metropolitan Museum of Art: Guide,' second edition (1994) edited by Kathleen Howard, comprising image and description of similar horse which is held by this museum; two photocopies of extracts from publication by Michael Hall entitled 'Reconsiderations of Sculpture by Leonardo da Vinci: A Bronze Statuette in the J.B. Speed Art Museum MCMLXXIII' (J.B. Speed Art Museum Bulletin, Louisville, Kentucky, November 1973, volume XXIX). Mentions present object and states it seems to be part of the same group as that held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On the other hand, the object from the Jeannerat Collection seems to be a mirror image of the others; document by Michael Holland, Registrar, Hunt Museum, entitled 'Hunt Museum Collection Information: Notice to Docents' (19 February 1997) pertaining to present object. Notes that the object was apparently bought by the Hunts in London at Sothebys in the 1960s, after Gertrude Hunt recognised it; extract from the 'Antiques Trade Gazette' (30 June 2001) comprising notice of sale for auction which includes a 'bronze figure of a rearing horse, cast from a model by Leonardo da Vinci.' Image present. Annotation notes that this horse was sold for £9,000 sterling; certificate of insurance (19 August 1969) for transport of present object to and from Budapest. Purpose of journey to Budapest is for a conference; two colour photographs (c. September 1969) showing [present and similar objects] on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest; letter (9 January 1995) from a docent (name withheld), Hunt Museum, to Mairead Dunlevy, Director, Hunt Museum. Writes that he travelled to Gothenburg to see an exhibition including a 'probable original Leonardo horse of wax.' Thinks that the details on the wax horse seem to be very close to the details on the Hunt and Budapest horses. With his letter, the docent appends a translation into English of information about the Gothenburg object that was available at the exhibition as well as photocopy of newspaper article in Swedish from the 'Gotheborgs Posten'; (5 January 1995); photocopy of another newspaper clipping in relation to the wax figure also attached to the docents letter as well as photocopy of extract from publication in Swedish and English which treats of the Budapest horse; colour image of sketch of horse [by Leonardo] (date unspecified); photocopy of paper by Maria G. Agghazy entitled 'Italian Renaissance and Baroque Small Bronzes in the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts' published in 'The New Hungarian Quarterly' (summer 1968, volume IX, number 30); photocopy of extract from 'European Bronze Statuettes' (London: The Connoisseur and Michael Joseph, 1966) by Anthony Radcliffe; photocopy of extract from 'The Treasures of the Old Sculpture Collection: Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest' by Eva Szmodis-Eszlary (Budapest, 1995); photocopy of extract from 'Early Renaissance' (USA: Penguin Books, 1987) by Michael Levey containing image of 'Nude Youth Holding a Rearing Horse' from the studio of Fillippo Lippi and mentions Leonardo; photocopy of paper by Carmen C. Bambach entitled 'A Leonardo drawing for the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Studies for a statue of Hercules' published in 'Apollo' (c. March 2001); photocopy of extract from 'Art in Renaissance Italy 1350-1500' (Oxford University Press, May 2001) by Evelyn Welch. Includes image of study by Leonardo for a monument for Francesco Sforza comprising horse and rider; photocopy of extract from 'Bronzes' (London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1963) by Jennifer Montagu which contains image of rearing horse figure; photocopy of extract from issue of 'Hello' magazine (c. 1996-97) which comprises short article about a clay model (completed in 1997) of Il Cavallo, a bronze horse commissioned by the Duke of Milan from Leonardo; article by Rebecca Jed entitled 'Leonardo's latest' and relating to the aforementioned clay model of Il Cavallo. This article published in 'The Independent on Sunday' (colour supplement) (6 June 1999); letter (22 April 2003) from Priscilla H. Johnson (address withheld) to the Hunt Museum, enclosing two colour photographs of modern sculpture of horse designed by Leonardo for the Duke of Milan. It is located in the garden and sculpture park of Frederick Meijer, Grand Rapids, Michigan; newspaper article from 'The Times' (8 July 2000) by Richard Owen. He writes that art experts believe they have located lost mural by Leonardo entitled 'The Battle of Anghiari'; photocopy of article published in 'The Times' (18 June 2005) and also relating to the lost mural, 'The Battle of Anghiari'; photocopy of extract from 'Catalogue of the Paintings' (National Gallery of Ireland, 1971) which contains entry relating to 'The Battle of Anghiari' attributed to the fifteenth-century Florentine School and from the Lane bequest; photocopy of a postcard with image of the Budapest figure (date unspecified); photocopy of paper (translated) by Jonas Gavel, Curator, Goteborg Museum of Art, entitled 'Leonardo and the Four Elements' (date unspecified); photocopy of extract from 'The Renaissance' (Dorling Kindersley in association with the National Gallery, London, 1994) pertaining to various Leonardo works; photocopy of extract from 'The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci' (London: The Reprint Society, 1963) by A.E. Popham which comprises images of drawings; photocopy of extract from 'The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci' (London: The Reprint Society, 1952) which comprises images of drawings; photocopy of extract from unidentified publication in German containing images of similar objects, for instance, the Budapest horse; photocopy of extract from 'The Connoisseur' (c. December 1949) comprising article by T.P. Greig entitled 'The Auction Rooms.' It includes image of a Milanese sixteenth-century bronze group including rearing horse, after Leonardo, from the E.L. Paget Collection, and recently sold; photocopy of extract from 'Europaische Bronze-Statuetten' (Braunschweig: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1967) by Hans R. Weihrauch, including image of Budapest horse. Attached to the information card are photocopies (done for research purposes) of some other items all described above; four postcards (dates unspecified) with images of figure of horse held in Budapest; extract from 'The Times' newspaper (18 June 2005) again in relation to the lost mural, 'The Battle of Anghiari'; printout from website (30 November 2002) with image of Leonardo drawing of horse with rider, perhaps 'Blue Sforza.' The horse was sent to Washington in 2009. The Washington National Gallery conducted scientific evaluation and estimated that it was created in the late 19th century.
Category
Copyright Attribution
Rearing Horse | Da Vinci Horse | Metal,Copper Alloy,Bronze | 16th century AD | The Hunt Collection | PD
