The monument to Leonardo da Vinci is a commemorative sculptural group placed in Milan's Piazza della Scala and unveiled in 1872. On the top is a statue of Leonardo da Vinci while the base depicts four of his pupils as full-length figures, Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, Marco d'Oggiono, Cesare da Sesto, and Gian Giacomo Caprotti (under the name Andrea Salaino).
The monument was made by sculptor Pietro Magni starting in 1858; due to Milan's transition from the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom to the Kingdom of Sardinia first and then to the Kingdom of Italy, funding for its construction had problems and delays. After its inauguration it received much negative criticism because of the choice of the place where it was placed and because it was considered a legacy of the Austrian administration.
History
An early project
In 1834, references are found to a "noble and highly cultured fellow citizen of ours" from Milan who intended to create a bronze monument to Leonardo at his own expense. The anonymous person had also obtained permission from the Austrian government to place the monument in Brera's courtyard, decorating the access to the double staircase. Monuments to Cesare Beccaria and Giuseppe Parini were also being prepared for the Richinian staircase at the time.
The granite base was to have been about 2 meters with bronze figures about 3 meters high, depicting the personification of Immortality in the act of handing a laurel wreath to Leonardo, intent on deep meditations on his books. A bas-relief on the base would have reproduced the Last Supper. However, this project was not completed.
The 1857 competition
In 1856, among the competitions of the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, the design of a monument to Leonardo in the form of a fountain to be placed in the courtyard of Brera was requested.
On Feb. 8, 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph determined that a proper monument should be erected in Piazza San Fedele with a marble statue 3.60 meters high. A new program was therefore established on Oct. 1, 1857, with a deadline of Oct. 31, 1858.
On December 22, 1858, the commission unanimously decided to choose the "Think in marble" model submitted by sculptor Pietro Magni; however, it was also pointed out that it would require an expenditure greater than the 60,000 Austrian liras stipulated in the call for proposals. It was also decided that the monument would be destined for Piazza della Scala.
Construction
Magni set to work, but the outcome of the Second War of Independence forced him to turn first to Urbano Rattazzi, then minister of the interior, and then to Cavour, president of the Council of Ministers. In fact, the government believed that it had no obligation to Magni since the competition had not been approved by the authorities and the amount of expenditure planned for his work was greater than that established by the competition. However, Cavour instructed Massimo d'Azeglio, governor of Milan, to examine the situation in the sculptor's studio and make a decision.
D'Azeglio not only confirmed the design but also suggested essential changes that increased the cost of the monument.
Magni left for Bologna as standard-bearer of the National Guard and on his return in 1861 found Giuseppe Pasolini as the new governor; in order to try to obtain confirmation of the commission to build the monument, he thus contacted the Academy, d'Azeglio (who had retired from politics), Governor Pasolini, the mayor of Milan Antonio Beretta and the president of the Council of Ministers Bettino Ricasoli.
A value of about 100,000 liras (corresponding to the 60,000 Austrian liras of the competition plus another 47,000 Italian liras) was estimated for the monument's construction. In 1862 the authorities requested changes to the project to reduce the expense to 90,200 liras, and the City of Milan pledged a contribution of 20,000 liras.
Magni carried on with the monument by incurring expenses for materials; by 1867, however, he had received no payments and the ministerial file had made no progress. He then decided to take advantage of the inauguration of the gallery alongside the Piazza della Scala, scheduled for September 15; he placed a model of the monument at his own expense for the entire month of September, hoping that the authorities, seeing it, would finally allow the work to be completed.
In 1868 he was informed that the government intended to award him only the original amount of the competition, which amounted to about 52,000 Italian liras; even counting the 20,000 for which the municipality of Milan had pledged, he would suffer a net loss of at least 15,000 liras for out-of-pocket expenses.