BookRix

We Learn From A Statement Of Sabba Da Castiglione That, When Milan
Was Taken By The French In 1499, The Model Sustained Some Injury;
And This Informant, Who, However Is Not Invariably Trustworthy, Adds
That Leonardo Had Devoted Fully Sixteen Years To This Work (La Forma
Del Cavallo, Intorno A Cui Leonardo Avea Sedici Anni Continui
Consumati). This Often-Quoted Passage Has Given Ground For An
Assumption, Which Has No Other Evidence To Support It, That Leonardo
Had Lived In Milan Ever Since 1483. But I Believe It Is Nearer The
Truth To Suppose That This Author's Statement Alludes To The Fact
That About Sixteen Years Must Have Past Since The Competition In
Which Leonardo Had Taken Part.