ONE OF the most popular exhibits at the Hunt Museum in Limerick – a bronze horse thought to have come from the workshop of Leonardo da Vinci – was cast in the late 19th century, and not the 15th century, according to the findings of an international research project.
The bronze Rearing Horsehas been displayed at the Limerick museum for the past 15 years and was purchased in the late 1960s by John and Gertrude Hunt at Sotheby's in London for £400.
Sotheby’s description in the 1966 auction catalogue described it as a “bronze figure of a rearing horse, cast from a model by Leonado da Vinci”.
However, forensic tests carried out as part of an international research project examining Renaissance bronzes have found the Hunt horse was “unquestionably more recent”, and possibly late 19th century. According to conservators at the National Gallery of Art in Washington the bronze horse differs in alloy and fracture from the other horses which are held at museums in New York, Budapest and London.
“The study revealed that the stylistic differences and the composition of the bronze alloy with no silver or arsenic, only possible after the introduction of electrolytic refining of copper in the last 19th century, indicate that the Hunt bronze is unquestionably more recent than the other horses in the series.”
According to the director of the Hunt Museum, Virginia Teehan, very little was known about the piece apart from the fact that it was purchased in good faith by the Hunts at Sotheby’s and the catalogue for that sale attributed it to Leonardo da Vinci.
“The description in the auction catalogue stated that it was believed to have been cast from a model by Leonardo da Vinci. John Hunt bought this piece in good faith and believed it to be as described by Sotheby’s,” said Ms Teehan.
“Recent advances in technology have made it possible to examine objects in much greater forensic detail. The focus of museum work is to research the objects contained in the collection and this can yield unexpected results,” she added.
According to Ms Teehan the Hunt Museum was "pleased and privileged" to participate in the National Gallery of Art study, which was also part of background research for the forthcoming exhibition – The Budapest Horse: A Leonardo da Vinci Puzzledue to open in Washington on July 3rd.
“This valuable work contributes important technical information which is central to the provenance research work currently being undertaken by the museum.
The Rearing Horseis a very beautiful object and will remain a very important item in the collection which will continue to interest and engage our visitors," she continued.