Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni

In Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, beside the Basilica of Saints John and Paul in Venice, this bronze monument depicts the 15th-century military captain Bartolomeo Colleoni on horseback. Andrea Verrocchio designed the work, and Alessandro Leopardi completed its casting. Colleoni’s will gave the Republic of Venice a reason to commission the statue, though it stands here rather than in Piazza San Marco. Take time to study the horse and rider, then explore the square and the nearby basilica.

Colleoni’s bequest and the statue

Bartolomeo Colleoni was a military captain who served Venice and Milan during the 15th-century wars on the Italian peninsula. He died in 1475. His will left Venice a large bequest of gold and land, with the condition that the city erect an equestrian statue of him in Piazza San Marco.

The monument was installed in 1496, but not in the square named in Colleoni’s will. It stands in Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, beside the basilica. The Republic of Venice did not permit statues in Piazza San Marco, so the work was placed elsewhere in the city.

A bronze work by two sculptors

Andrea Verrocchio designed the statue between 1483 and 1488. Alessandro Leopardi carried out the final bronze casting. The result is a public monument to a non-royal figure, an uncommon subject for an equestrian statue in the Renaissance.

The statue stands in the open square, where you can view it alongside the Basilica of Saints John and Paul and the nearby Scuola Grande di San Marco. The square is also a local gathering place, with cafes and restaurants around it. Take a moment to look at the horse and rider before continuing to the basilica.