Stallion of Steel

Kentucky is known around the world for its majestic horses and being the home of the most exhilarating two minutes in sports - the Kentucky Derby. As the “sport of kings”, horse racing deserves a one-of-a-kind sculpture embracing the brilliance, beauty and boldness of these breathtaking animals. This imagery inspired the artist to create the Stallion of Steel, a massive 11 foot tall sculpture based on the design of Joshua de Lisl.

Since this is an artistic piece, quality was extremely important and the galvanizer was able to deliver a beautiful finish that would protect the sculpture for decades.

The Stallion of Steel is composed of the horse's head and its pedestal. Grounded by 350 pounds of pure steel, with predominant height of 11 feet and a one-of-a-kind potent modern design, this masterpiece demands the attention of anyone who is in its presence. The material of the horsehead is 18” mild (cold-rolled) steel weighing 115 lbs. All components were cut out by a CNC machine and carefully put together by hand. Using different techniques such as heating the surface with a torch and bending the steel while hot, hammering and spot welding under pressure, the head was carefully put together with craftsmanship, stamina and passion in 3 ½ months.

Steel is corrosive and can rust easily. To avoid any damage to the sculpture, the entire horse head was galvanized (inside and out) in a >800 degree hot bath of molten zinc. Before dipping, the steel was cleaned in several stages and dipped in an acid bath to get rid of any contamination. The final galvanized head can now withstand the weather over time if it sits outside. Since this is an artistic piece, quality was extremely important and the galvanizer was able to deliver a beautiful finish that would protect the sculpture for decades. Finally, this majestic sculpture received a patina of copper sulfate base which gave it a dark shimmering surface and the vintage look of aged steel.

To add more depth to the entire appearance of this already magnificent structure, the underlying pedestal was treated with acid and then left to rust organically. After a thin colorful layer of oxidation the whole pedestal was sealed and powder coated to protect its brilliant and unique pattern.

Fittingly, the sculpture was exhibited at the Louisville Slugger Museum in July 2019.