Just one look

I have 36 images of the Colleoni monument on my computer, though a few may be the same photo in a different album, but just let's say that I have taken a lot of photos of this statue. It is unarguably the finest equestrian statue in the world. Let's not have an argument about that. The more you read about the monument, the more slightly different versions you get. They all seem to agree that Colleoni left money to the Republic for an equestrian statue to be erected in Piazza San Marco, but that the Signoria ordered that it be erected in front of the Scuola di San Marco instead. Where I find disagreement is in the amount of money that was left (amounts varying from 100,000 to nearly 1 million ducats), and the date of Colleoni's death (1471, 1475, 1476, 1484).
Here's a story that some of you may not know (It may not be true, of course. I've only read it in one book.):

Andrea del Verrocchio made a superb model of the horse. The Signoria liked it, but decided to give the work of producing the rider to another sculptor. Verrocchio lost his temper, smashed the head off the horse and left Venice. The Signoria warned him never to set foot in Venice again, at peril of his life. Verrocchio replied by letter that he had no intention of going back to Venice. He pointed out that if the Signoria cut off his head, they could not replace it with another. He, Verocchio, could, on the other hand, easily make another head for the horse and, he added with guile, he could make it even better. The Signoria invited him back to Venice to finish the statue. They even let him sculpt the rider.

Unfortunately, Verrocchio died in 1488 before the statue was finished. Alessandro Leopardi finished the statue and created the pedestal for it, and took the credit for the statue by inscribing his name on the saddle-girth.

The statue, unveiled in 1496, was originally gilded.

Even Ruskin liked it! He wrote,“I do not believe there is a more glorious work of sculpture existing in the world.”

According to Hugh Honour (Companion Guide to Venice), Verrocchio never saw Colleoni.

There is a copy of the head of Colleoni, cast from the statue, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, if you want to see what the head looks like from close up and at eye level.

The statue was restored 2004-2005. Well, restoration was due to begin on 1 January 2004, and due to finish on 31 December 2005, but I was there in May 2006 and it was still under scaffolding and tarpaulins.