Restored in 1995 with funding from Mrs. Oakleigh Thorne.

During the Renaissance, the Venetian government commissioned several equestrian monuments that served as tributes to the loyal and virtuous service of Venice’s hired military commanders, or condottieri. Following the classical precedent of equestrian monuments established by the Roman Empire, Venice used these monuments to honor its great generals, as a reward as well as a stimulus for future soldiers.

The equestrian statue of Leonardo da Prato, who fell in the 1510–11 defense of Padua during the wars of the League of Cambrai, is mounted high on the wall of the left transept. The tomb was commissioned together with those of two other military commanders, and the documents commissioning the monument express the hope that it will “inspire others who serve to expose their lives to the benefit and advantage of the Republic.”

The carved and gilded wooden sculpture of Leonardo da Prato on horseback is framed by a rounded, classical arch, and stands on top of the commander’s sarcophagus, which bears an honorific inscription. Set behind the figure is a sculptural roundel that depicts the winged lion of St. Mark — a reminder of the commander’s service to the Most Serene Republic. The architectural components of the tomb have been attributed to Paduan sculptor Antonio Minello de’ Bardi; he may have produced the wooden statue as well, although there are no other works in this medium that have been associated with him.

The monument was restored by conservators Maximilian Leuthenmayr and Benito Ghezzo, with the guidance of project director Sandro Sponza of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Antonio Minello de’ Bardi (c. 1465–1529)
Equestrian Monument of Leonardo da Prato
1512-1514, carved and gilded wood; Istrian stone and marble
685 x 295 cm

Schulz, Anne Markham. “Four New Works by Antonio Minello.” Mitteilungen Des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz 31, no. 2/3 (1987): 291-326.