Nina Akamu (Japanese/American, b. 1955), Il Cavallo Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse

Cast by Tallix Foundry, patinated bronze, edition numbered 84/300 and marked "© 1999 LDVMI [Tallix foundry cipher]" to the horse underside.

13 x 12 x 5 1/4 in.

The story of the da Vinci Horse Project is an interesting historical journey. Leonardo da Vinci's original equestrian statue, Il Cavallo, was executed in clay at a massive scale of 24 feet and was commissioned to be cast in bronze for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro, in 1482. However, the bronze that was intended to be poured for the sculpture was instead used for wartime artillery. Sadly, the original clay model was subsequently destroyed by French soldiers. Later in the 20th century a project was begun by American pilot and art enthusiast, Charles Dent (1917–1994), to recreate this piece in bronze. After Charles' passing, artist Nina Akamu was chosen to recreate the 24-foot statue based on da Vinci's notes, drawings, and research. On September 10, 1999, Il Cavallo was dedicated in San Siro in Milan, Italy. A month later the second colossal sculpture was dedicated at Meijer Sculpture Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Leonardo’s Horse was covered extensively by international press and media, making it the largest and most famous bronze horse sculpture in the world. Time Magazine Europe and Time Asia labeled it one of the Top Ten Designs of 1999.

Nina Akamu was born in Midwest City, Oklahoma. As the daughter of an Air Force serviceman, much of her childhood was spent living in Hawaii and the Far East. Nina received her BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. It was during her last year of college that she discovered sculpture, and understood immediately that it was her passion. In 1979 Nina moved to Florence, Italy to continue studies with her mentor Joseph Sheppard, an American painter specializing in drawing, anatomy, and 17th-century painting techniques of Italian and Flemish Masters. In 1981 she was inducted as a member of the prestigious National Sculpture Society, a sculpture organization created in 1893 by renowned American sculptors including Daniel Chester French, Augustus St. Gaudens, architect Stanford White, and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany.

In 1984 Nina moved to Pietrasanta to continue her study and aesthetic discourse in sculptural media, producing her own sculptures while learning marble carving and bronze finishing from Italian craftsmen. During this time she rode horses who served as models for her sculptures. Her 12 years in Italy were dedicated to cultivating her aesthetic and tactile sensibilities as she pursued the highest levels of craftsmanship and professionalism in her field. This would ultimately lead to her move to New York in the 1990s to begin the large scale da Vinci Horse project that became a defining monument of her artistic career.


Good estate condition; minor wear to the felt underside.