The Hidden History of Leonardo's Lost Sculpture

LAS VEGAS, June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Only Known Sculpture by the Renaissance Master Reemerges to Rewrite Art History

A Lost Horse. A Forgotten Genius. A Sculpture's Resurrection.

Horse and Rider — the only known surviving sculpture attributed to Leonardo da Vinci — is returning to  the spotlight after centuries in the shadows. Cast from a beeswax model believed to have been made by Leonardo himself, the work is igniting debate and fascination across the art world.

Once believed lost, the work's origin tells a story of royal commissions, artistic ambition, and a rediscovery centuries in the making.

Created circa 1508, it is widely believed the sculpture was intended as a model for a grand, life-size bronze monument honoring Charles d'Amboise, the French Governor of Milan, friend and patron of Leonardo. Charles d'Amboise died in 1511 and the monument was never completed. The wax model was subsequently lost to history.

Horse and Rider blurs the line between art and history. Originally conceived as a monument to Charles d'Amboise, Horse and Rider stands firmly in the tradition of historical sculpture. But what survives today is something even more rare — a singular bronze model that captures Leonardo's deep study of anatomy and motion. It is both historical and artistic: a lost fragment of a greater ambition, now revered for its beauty and mystery.

Among Renaissance scholars who have studied the original beeswax model or the resulting bronze cast, however, there is little debate over Leonardo's authorship.

EXPERT ASSESSMENTS & SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION

Professor Carlo Pedretti, Leonardo scholar, 1985: "This fragmentary wax model of a horse and rider in a London collection… is in my opinion by Leonardo himself."

Professor Martin Kemp, art historian, 1992: "…obviously a very extraordinary work, of high originality and great vivacity. My overall conclusion at this stage is that I would not eliminate an attribution to Leonardo."

J.H. Larson, Senior Sculpture Conservator, Victoria & Albert Museum, 2003: "…the attribution to Leonardo da Vinci cannot be ruled out in terms of date or quality of manufacture."

Recently made available for sale, the owners of the original bronze cast of Horse and Rider are currently in discussions to secure a long-term placement at a world-renowned museum or cultural institution. Public display of this extraordinary work could soon offer scholars, students, and art lovers a rare, up-close encounter with a lost vision of Leonardo da Vinci — in three dimensions.

For Additional Information and inquiries please contact:
Rod Maly
[email protected]  702-227-0220
Art encounter  5720 S. Arville Street, Suite 119, Las Vegas, Nevada  89118 

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SOURCE Art encounter