A Rider on a Galloping Horse

Leonardo Vinci, da (after)

Summary

A reproduction produced by the Vasari Society of a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. The drawing is of a horse rearing up with its front legs in the air, with a rider on its back. The horse is large and well-built, and the rider appears calm. Traces of earlier sketches can be seen underneath the main drawing, including different positions for the horse's back legs. Text from the accompanying booklet produced by the Vasari Society: "2. LEONARDO DA VINCI (b. 1452; d. 1519) A RIDER ON A GALLOPING HORSE Collection of Henry Oppenheimer, Esq. From the Collections of Sir Peter Lely and the Earl of Pembroke (Sale July 10, 1917; No. 467). Silver point, retouched (perhaps by a later hand) with the pen on prepared paper. 14.5 x 12.3 cm. (5 3/4 x 4 13/16 in.). Arthur Strong conjectures that this may be an early design, abandoned on account of the difficulty of casting a galloping horse for either the Sforza or the Trivulzio monument. An estimate for the later of the two equestrian statues, in Leonardo's autograph, mentions 'a courser as large as life, with the rider'. C. D. [S. Arthur Strong, Reproductions of Drawings by the Old Masters in the Collection of the Earl of Pembroke at Wilton House. London, 1900; No. 1.]"