Reading
Leonardo's Horse
El caballo de Leonardo
by Jean Fritz
Overview
| Genre | Biography |
| Vocabulary Strategy | Word Structure |
| Comprehension Skill | Main Idea and Details |
| Comprehension Strategy | Summarize |
Vocabulary
| achieved (v.) | carried out to a successful end |
| architect (n.) | person who designs and makes plans for buildings |
| bronze (n.) | a dark, yellow-brown combination of copper and tin |
| cannon (n.) | a big gun, especially one that is mounted on a base or wheels |
| depressed (adj.) | sad or glooomy |
| fashioned (v.) | made, shaped, or done |
| midst (n.) | in the middle |
| philosopher (n.) | a person who studies philosophy, the study of the basic nature of knowledge and reality |
| rival (n.) | a person who wants and tries to get the same thing as another, or tries to equal or do better than another |
More Words to Know
| rebirth | a new birth; being born again |
| Renaissance | the great revival of art and learning in Europe during the 1300-1500s |
| togas | loose, outer garments worn in public by citizens of ancient Rome |
Summary (English)
As a boy, Leonardo da Vinci was curious about everything. As a teenager, he went to study art in Florence, Italy. He became a famous artist. He made a silver flute shaped like a horse's head. The ruler of Florence sent Leonardo to give the flute to the duke of Milan as a gift.
In Milan, the duke asked Leonardo to make a statue of a horse. It would be three times bigger than a real horse. Leonardo studied other statues and real horses. He made a clay model that was twenty-four feet tall.
France was threatening to invade Milan. The duke used the metal intended for the statue to make a cannon. The clay model became a pile of mud. Leonardo was sad about his horse. In the 1900s, two artists made a statue of a horse like Leonardo's. More than 450 years after Leonardo died, the horse was brought to Milan.
Summary (Spanish)
Cuando era niño, Leonardo da Vinci sentía curiosidad por todo. De adolescente, fue a estudiar arte a Florencia, Italia. Se convirtió en un artista famoso. Hizo una flauta de plata con la forma de una cabeza de caballo. El gobernador de Florencia envió a Leonardo con la flauta de regalo para el duque de Milán.
En Milán, el duque le pidió a Leonardo que hiciera la estatua de un caballo. Debería ser tres veces más grande que un caballo real. Leonardo estudió otras estatuas y caballos reales. Hizo un modelo de arcilla que tenía veinticuatro pies de alto.
Francia amenazaba con invadir Milán. El duque usó el metal de la estatua para hacer un cañón. El modelo de arcilla se convirtió en un montón de barro. Leonardo estaba muy triste por su caballo. Pero en la década de 1990, dos artistas hicieron una estatua de un caballo como el de Leonardo. Más de 450 años después de la muerte de Leonardo, el caballo fue llevado a Milán.