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拍品專文
In both antiquity and in the modern era, the horse has consistently been represented either alone or with a rider. This is no doubt due to man’s general appreciation for equine beauty, but also the horse’s association with the power it bestowed on any rider. Horses have long been associated with social and political superiority.
No other cast is known of this model which conveys such a thorough understanding of equine anatomy. While aware of antique sources such as the highly influential Horses of San Marco, the creator of the present bronze demonstrates an even greater sense of realism and movement than any of these prototypes. Its flared nostrils and open mouth create a sense of immediacy, and the knotted tail, clipped mane and carefully defined fetlocks suggest a specificity lacking in most other depictions of horses, either sculptural or pictorial.
However, it is the observation of the horse’s anatomy in the process of movement that is most extraordinary. The author of the Quentin bronze had clearly studied horses in motion at great length, and incorporated these characteristics in this composition. As noted in The Frick exhibition catalogue of 2004/2005, the author of this bronze realized two uniquely observed points: first, that when a horse lifts one of its rear legs, the hind-quarter of that leg (in this case on the proper left side) drops slightly in relation to the opposite hind-quarter which temporarily supports the weight. The second observation is that when trotting, some horses flick their hooves out to the side. This movement, known as ‘dishing’, is seen here in the proper right foreleg.
Both of these observations are only found among the many horse studies that Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) made in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Two sheets in particular, today in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. 781 DR) and Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (inv. no. PD.121-1961) seem to illustrate these observations, respectively. Leonardo is known from numerous contemporary sources to have worked as a sculptor in a variety of media including bronze, although there is nothing today that has gained widespread acceptance as a work from his hand. However the author of the present bronze certainly shares Leonardo's fascination with horses, his sense of proportion, and his minute observation of horses in motion.
No other cast is known of this model which conveys such a thorough understanding of equine anatomy. While aware of antique sources such as the highly influential Horses of San Marco, the creator of the present bronze demonstrates an even greater sense of realism and movement than any of these prototypes. Its flared nostrils and open mouth create a sense of immediacy, and the knotted tail, clipped mane and carefully defined fetlocks suggest a specificity lacking in most other depictions of horses, either sculptural or pictorial.
However, it is the observation of the horse’s anatomy in the process of movement that is most extraordinary. The author of the Quentin bronze had clearly studied horses in motion at great length, and incorporated these characteristics in this composition. As noted in The Frick exhibition catalogue of 2004/2005, the author of this bronze realized two uniquely observed points: first, that when a horse lifts one of its rear legs, the hind-quarter of that leg (in this case on the proper left side) drops slightly in relation to the opposite hind-quarter which temporarily supports the weight. The second observation is that when trotting, some horses flick their hooves out to the side. This movement, known as ‘dishing’, is seen here in the proper right foreleg.
Both of these observations are only found among the many horse studies that Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) made in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Two sheets in particular, today in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. 781 DR) and Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (inv. no. PD.121-1961) seem to illustrate these observations, respectively. Leonardo is known from numerous contemporary sources to have worked as a sculptor in a variety of media including bronze, although there is nothing today that has gained widespread acceptance as a work from his hand. However the author of the present bronze certainly shares Leonardo's fascination with horses, his sense of proportion, and his minute observation of horses in motion.