# The colossal Sforza horse is modelled in clay and then lost when French troops occupy Milan

Date: 1493

## The fact

In the 1490s Leonardo modelled the colossal Sforza horse in clay; French occupation wrecked the model. It is a failed public monument, not a later replica. Leonardo da Vinci's documented role is: He modelled the giant horse. French occupation in 1499 destroyed the clay; he did not cast the bronze in full.

## Context

Bronze intended for the horse was diverted to [cannon](/people/aileen-cannon) in the received file. Sharing loss with Ludovico's fall is required. The setting of The colossal Sforza horse is modelled in clay and then lost when French troops occupy Milan is the public file around 1493-01-01. Shared offices, unnamed crews, printers, or later editors may appear without becoming this instrument. Driver [industrial-policy-activism](/drivers/industrial-policy-activism) is attached because the significance names a mechanism from this act, not because a standing list needed coverage.

If a number is not in the two records named above, it is not supplied here.

## Evidence and sources

Official locator: Britannica — Leonardo, Sforza horse at https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-da-Vinci (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Independent locator: Met Heilbrunn — Sforza monument neighbourhood at https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/leon/hd_leon.htm (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Official carrier: Britannica — Leonardo, Sforza horse (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-da-Vinci; Encyclopaedia Britannica). Independent carrier: Met Heilbrunn — Sforza monument neighbourhood (https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/leon/hd_leon.htm; Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Official or archival record: Britannica — Leonardo, Sforza horse (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-da-Vinci; Encyclopaedia Britannica).

## Significance

Worsening path from The colossal Sforza horse is modelled in clay and then lost when French troops occupy Milan on 1493-01-01. A destroyed public monument project is an industrial-and-cohesion loss path. The welfare reading on this path is worsening.

Later competitions, monuments, translations, UNESCO listings, museums, and adaptations are not converted into extra lifetime acts.

## What is established and what is not

Established: a sourced public record of The colossal Sforza horse is modelled in clay and then lost when French troops occupy Milan under 1493-01-01 for Leonardo da Vinci. Established: a sourced public record of The colossal Sforza horse is modelled in clay and then lost when French troops occupy Milan under 1493-01-01.

The attached driver is industrial-policy-activism. The welfare reading used in this dossier is worsening. That reading is an impact-path choice, not a property stored on the Fact itself.

Confidence is stated on the impact path, not hidden in adjectives. Do not treat a later replica as 1493 bronze. Mixed effects of The colossal Sforza horse is modelled in clay and then lost when French troops occupy Milan are separate paths.

Shared responsibility is part of The colossal Sforza horse is modelled in clay and then lost when French troops occupy Milan. Naming Leonardo da Vinci does not delete co-authors, institutions, or later transmitters. The lag from 1493-01-01 to any measured indicator is not treated as zero. Alternative explanations — weather, other armies, later statutes, or independent cultural change — remain live where the sources do not close them.

## People

- Leonardo da Vinci: https://factrail.ai/people/leonardo-da-vinci

## Drivers

- Industrial-Policy Activism: https://factrail.ai/drivers/industrial-policy-activism

## Sources

- https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/leon/hd_leon.htm
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-da-Vinci

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/ldv-sforza-horse-clay