As symbols of wealth, status, martial prowess, power and achievement horses were not at
the periphery of an artist’s work but in many cases pivotal to their perception of the world.

Through Leonardo's architectural schemes designing stables for the Sforza in Milan in the
1480s, his equestrian sculptural commissions for the same patrons or preparatory studies for
his great set-piece The Battle of Anghiari in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence this lecture
explores the role of horses as central subjects of Leonardo’s artistic output.

The lecture is not a talk just for specialist horse enthusiasts but is a celebration of how
Leonardo, perhaps the greatest of all Renaissance artists, interpreted literal horsepower at
the height of his artistic career.