Late in life Leonardo made many designs towards an equestrian monument, probably for his last employer, King Francis I. The two principal studies here show the horse walking, its head held in a variety of positions – the shimmering outline of the upper study is remarkable even among Leonardo’s late drawings. The rider is crowned with laurels: in the upper study he holds the baton in his lap, while below he thrusts it forwards while turning his body backwards. Four small, faint studies to left and below examine further permutations of horse and rider. But Leonardo seems not to have attempted large-scale or physically demanding work in his final years, and he did not put his mind to the practicalities of modelling or casting the sculpture.

Text adapted from Leonardo da Vinci: A life in drawing, London, 2018