Bartolomeo Colleoni (1400-1475) was the Captain-General of Venice in the third-quarter of the Fifteenth Century. He was a "Condottiero"—a term which (in Medieval times) meant mercenary leader, but later (in the Renaissance, during which time Colleoni lived) it became an honorific for any great and famous military leader. He was born to a noble family in Solza (near Bergamo, then part of the Duchy of Milan) and trained as a soldier. He spent much of his life serving the Republic of Venice. But he also served various Dukes of Milan—at times Venice's bitter rival.
A great tactician, Colleoni took-back for Venice territories which previously had been stolen from them by Milan. When Venice and Milan brokered peace in 1441, Colleoni left to serve Milan. The suspicious Duke of Milan, Filippo Visconti, however, imprisoned Colleoni. When Visconti died in 1447, Colleoni returned to Venice where he made great contributions (and a lot of money).
When Colleoni was overlooked for the position of Captain-General of the Republic of Venice in 1451, he left (once again) for Milan, where his old military comrade, Franceso Sforza recently had taken the Dukedom. Venice missed Colleoni (and his effectiveness) immensely. They plied him with emoluments (remember those?), luring him back to Venice. He was named Captain-General (for life) in 1455. He served Venice in this capacity for the rest of his life—taking the occasional side hustle when Venice was at peace.
When Colleoni died, his will left much of his considerable estate to the Republic of Venice—with the proviso that a statue of him be erected in the Piazza San Marco, Venice's most important square. The authorities accepted Colleoni's bequest, however, since statues were not allowed in the Piazza San Marco, they installed it in a public square about a mile away, the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo (the "Field" of Saints John and Paul).
The competition for the commission was won by Florentine painter and sculptor Andrea del Verrochio (1435-1488). His design was inspired by the ancient mounted sculpture of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. Verrochio wanted his horse to convey power, energy and a sense of movement. He wanted one foreleg to remain lifted—an engineering challenge as the heavy bronze would have to be supported on three (rather thin) legs. He succeeded in this—as well as his intention to convey Colleoni as a strong and ruthless commander, "bursting with titanic power and energy." Art historians have praised Verrochio's sculpture as one of the finest of this type of mounted equestrian works. They also agree that its eventual placement in the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo works perfectly.
The spelter sculpture, shown here, is a late Grand Tour souvenir, made between 1890 and 1910. A memento, such as this, would be collected by those fortunate enough to tour the far-flung cultural capitals of the Ancient and Renaissance worlds. It is a handsome reminder of the Condottiero—or, perhaps, of your cherished memory of a visit to La Serenissima. Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome sculpture.
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