How can one reconcile the Prophet's cursing of image-makers with the statues made by the Prophet David, and what is the authenticity of the report that Aisha had a doll in the form of a horse with wings?

What is mentioned in the Qur'an about Solomon's (peace be upon him) making of statues does not provide evidence that they were of living beings. A disagreement exists among exegetes regarding their nature. Even if we assume they were of living beings, this does not contradict their permissibility in previous divine laws, because the laws of the prophets agreed on the fundamentals of religion and monotheism, but differed in branches. Some scholars have held that the prohibition of depicting living beings in Islam was to block the means to polytheism, not due to an inherent evil in the act of depiction itself. Also, some scholars are of the view that what is meant by "imitating Allah's creation" is the intention to imitate, not merely the act of depiction. As for the story of Aisha's (may Allah be pleased with her) toy, which was in the form of a horse with wings, it indicates the permissibility of children's play with depicted objects.