Notes and Sketches on the Anatomy of the Horse, Vol. 2

The scrupulous analysis of its photograph, used to explain the equine canon The "equine canon" refers to the standard set of mathematical proportions used to depict an ideal horse in art., agrees with the principal dimensions of Leonardo da Vinci’s horse, although the appearance of his animal is heavy and lacks grace in its relative stiffness. One must look back to the limited knowledge of equine drawing available at the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century.

Leaf 30 recto represents a horse whose limbs are very lightly indicated; and, although its body is a bit short, it is already more finely drawn than the one on leaf 28. The croup The top of the horse's hindquarters. is less rounded there than in all the drawings dedicated to the studies of the Sforza monument A massive bronze equestrian statue commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, which Leonardo worked on for years but never finished.. Here, it seems that Leonardo intended to emphasize the profile of the anterior part of the chest, where the muscular indications, as well as those of the shoulder, are of great accuracy; but, what one will notice—and what will always dominate in the artist's equines—is the thickness of the neck, the boundaries of which contribute to giving the splenius A broad, flat muscle at the back of the neck; Leonardo often exaggerated this to show power. an intentional development. This repetition persists constantly throughout the work and makes the animals' heads appear small.

Leaves 32 to 42 represent studies intended for the Sforza statue.

Then come leaves 43, 44 recto, 45, and 46, which feature the great gallop.

Finally, leaves 47 to 56 contain designs for horses agitated in every direction; and a few sketches relating to the casting The technical process of pouring molten metal into a mold to create a bronze statue. conclude these two volumes, the publication of which is of the highest interest and does great honor to Mr. Édouard Rouveyre A prominent 19th-century French publisher known for reproducing Leonardo's manuscripts..