Angol leírás, sztori

“The statue of Leonardo da Vinci is located in Piazza della Scala, prominently displayed in front of the international temple of bel canto. The monument offers a solemn and austere image of the scientist and at his feet are four of his pupils.

The statue is made of white Carrara marble, whilst granite from Baveno was used for the base.

The idea of building a statue in honour of the Tuscan genius was initiated in 1856 by the Accademia di Belle Arti in Brera, which held a competition for a monument made of marble and bronze to be placed in the Palazzo in Brera.

Two years later, after considering all the sketches received in the competition, the jury chose the one presented by the artist Pietro Magni. Subsequently it was decided to place the monument in Piazza della Scala, as renovation of the area that included the Galleria had just been completed, this solution seemed more appropriate to the importance of the character represented by the statue.

The history of the creation of the monument is intertwined with that of the new Italian State which, in 1860, declared that it wished to bear the costs of the execution of the project, requesting also the involvement of the municipality of Milan.

However, economic resources were received only after a ten year legal dispute initiated by the sculptor. In 1872 the monument was inaugurated in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele II at the Second National Exhibition.”

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