A $100 million Leonardo da Vinci bronze sculpture has hit market
Fine arts collectors will soon have an opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind bronze sculpture, based on the only known wax cast created by Leonardo da Vinci.
Art encounter, a Las Vegas-based art dealer and gallery, will handle the sale of the sculpture – named “Horse and Rider.” The work, created after decades of analysis, is valued at $100 million.
“The sculpture was cast by American Fine Arts Foundry in 2012, using a wax pulled from a latex mold of Leonardo’s original,” said Art encounter President Brett Maly, in a statement. “The detail is extraordinary.”
Historians believe that da Vinci intended to create a life-sized bronze sculpture of his patron Charles d’Amboise, riding on a horse. d’Amboise died before the project was fully realized. The wax model da Vinci created was passed down through centuries of owners before it was authenticated by da Vinci scholar Carlo Pedretti in 1985.
“Horse and Rider’s 500-year journey from Italy to Switzerland to England to America is fascinating,” said Scott Ferguson, executive director of Art encounter, in a statement. “It’s a miracle Leonardo’s beeswax original survived long enough to be realized in bronze. We are extremely honored to represent such a historic and important work.”
Fingerprints, believed to be from da Vinci, are among the details preserved from the wax cast and transferred to the bronze rendition. The artist’s initials are also on the wax and bronze renditions.
“I have inspected the art and spent years studying its history, scientific analyses and expert assessments,” said Maly. “I’m completely convinced of its authenticity and value.”
Art encounter is storing the statue in a vault, until its sale. Interested buyers, Renaissance scholars, and da Vinci experts can make appointments to view the piece.