The term of Mochi Horses are provided for both bronze equestrian statues, located in the central square of Piacenza, which takes its name from them, the works of the Tuscan sculptor Francesco Mochi from Montevarchi and dating back to the seventeenth century. The two statues were built on commission. Ranuccio, lord of Parma and Piacenza, wanted to pay homage to the memory of the deceased parent, Alessandro Farnese, as well as ensure the future of its own permanence, and therefore summoned in Piacenza, a city which at that time had assumed the title of capital of the duchy previously held by Parma, the sculptor Francesco Mochi, who went there from Rome, where he had worked up to that point, but will not receive important commissions, due to the overwhelming and very active artistic figure of Gianlorenzo Bernini. Ranuccio commissioned two statues in bronze in order to regain the favor of the population - at that time the Farnese family suffered from a particular unpopularity - which were supposed to represent his father Alessandro and he himself proudly carried by noble steeds. The location chosen was from the outset that, centrally, the Piazza del Comune. Documents of various kinds, especially economic, hereby certify that the Mochi, after having conceived and designed the first statue and prepared the cast, he embarked on the merger in the summer of 1612. The statues stand on high pedestals in marble bas-reliefs on the sides bring two more and plates with text, curved shape on the short sides. Completing the monuments putti holding coat of arms, coats of arms and bronze decorations. A low railing bordering the small rectangular space pertaining to the statues and separates them from the square. Ranuccio there was depicted with air phlegmatic and kind, a university regent in his right hand, dressed as a brave Roman with armor and skirt. Similarly, the animal was able graceful, agile and with one paw raised, perfectly tamed by its rider. This masterpiece of chasing bronze composition and late Renaissance to the era represented a creation without a doubt mature and stylistically accomplished, and many would have singled out as the first work of Mochi who has reached the age and experience needed, had so embarked on the most significant stage of its production. Similar premises then left to think about a different stylistic development of Mochi, which actually showed in all its resplendent and kicking news with the subsequent creation of the monument. Mochi built it between 1620 and 1625. So the second horse had long labor, probably because of its revolutionary aspect. Alessandro Farnese, the father of Ranuccio, unlike the latter brave warrior and daring, there appeared wrapped in a cloak large and dynamic, in a position far from classical, static, and therefore visibly different from the previous close and creation equestrian. Al horse, then, Mochi gave a frantic aspect, with a mane in disorder and a look on, in addition to a musculature also move and plastic. All this enables us to understand that the result obtained from Mochi creative with the second equestrian statue was undoubtedly greater and much more innovative than the other, also underlined by the proximity of the two symmetrical monuments, which allow easy comparison. Mochi took care to design and implement even the two bases on which it bases the two marble statues. In addition to reporting both an identical inscription explains what motives drove the Piacenza to ask the monuments, are complemented by captions related to the personalities portrayed, as well as bas-reliefs, coats of arms and bronze statues of the highest bill. In particular, we recall here some boys from the frowning face, also a sign of newness, and reliefs with scenes of triumphal war campaign in Flanders by Alessandro Farnese. The unanimous criticism attaches to the statue of Alexander Farnese worth breaking style, already shown by the sculptor in Orvieto, which was reaffirmed with a decidedly baroque taste now. The two statues were subjected to a restoration in 2007, which ended in the spring of 2008.

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