. Leonardo da Vinci, artist, thinker and man of science;. horseof the Duke Francesco ;and he is out of thequestion, for he hasenough work for all therest of his days, and Idoubt, seeing how greatthat work is, if he willever finish it.^ An anonymous bio-grapher confirms Vasaris statement that Leonardo intended casting the statue in one piece,- butthis statement is confuted by one of Leonardos own manuscripts, inwhich he discusses the possibilities of casting 100,000 lbs. of metal,and determines that five furnaces would have to be used, reckoning2,000 (20,000) or at the most 3,000 (30,000) lbs.
. Leonardo da Vinci, artist, thinker and man of science;. horseof the Duke Francesco ;and he is out of thequestion, for he hasenough work for all therest of his days, and Idoubt, seeing how greatthat work is, if he willever finish it.^ An anonymous bio-grapher confirms Vasaris statement that Leonardo intended casting the statue in one piece,- butthis statement is confuted by one of Leonardos own manuscripts, inwhich he discusses the possibilities of casting 100,000 lbs. of metal,and determines that five furnaces would have to be used, reckoning2,000 (20,000) or at the most 3,000 (30,000) lbs. to each furnace.^This, of course, settles the question. 1 Richter, vol. ii. p. 15,400.—Uzielli, 2nd ed. vol. i. p. 179.—MnWerAXMe,/a/ir//uc/ider kg. Pr. Kunstsammltingen 1897, p. 94 et seq. - Milanesi—Documenti inédite, p. 11. Vasari says that on this point Leonardoconsulted his skilled compatriot, Giuliano da San Gallo, when the latter visited Milan. * 2,€i\.xM\\\, II Codue di Leonardo da Vinci nella Biblioteca del Principe Tnvulzio,io\. ^T- X. sTtDIIià OF HuUiKS. (Windsor Library.) 154 LEONARDO DA VINCI Leonardos masterpiece came to a_ miserable end. Sabba diCastigliones story of the statue being knocked to pieces by the Gasconcrossbowmen of Louis XIL has perhaps been taken too Hterally. That this ruthless destruction did not occur during Louiss firstoccupation of Milan in 1499, is evident from the fact that in 1501the Duke of Ferrara was anxious to obtain possession of the modelexecuted by Leonardo.^ Still, we have no reason to doubt that foreignsoldiers had a hand in this deplorable piece of vandalism, though thereis probably much justice in M. Bonnaffés presumption that astatue ofperishable material, of such dimensions and in such an attitude, exposedto all the vicissitudes of the weather, soon perishes when it once beginsto deteriorate. Already much damaged in 1501, Leonardos monu-ment was inevitably doomed. Some drunken soldiers, perhaps, madea target of the h
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