Dürer's Rhinoceros

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Dürer's Rhinoceros is a woodcut created by Albrecht Dürer in 1515. Dürer created the image from a written description and brief sketch, without ever seeing the rhinoceros depicted. Dürer first made a pen-and-ink drawing, which is reflected in the final woodcut.

A rhinoceros has not been seen in Europe since Roman times, and had become something of a mythical beast for bestiaries, like the unicorn. But, in 1513, a rhinoceros and a white elephant (named Hanno) were sent to King Manuel I of Portugal from the Far East (variously reported as being sent by the King of Cochin, or King Muzafar of Cambodia, or Alfonso de Albuquerque acting on his master's orders). At that time, the monarchs of different countries would occasionally send each other exotic animals to be be kept in a menagerie. The animals created a sensation when they arrived in Lisbon. A merchant, Valentin Ferdinand, sent a description to a friend in Nuremburg, together with a sketch. From these materials, Durer made an ink drawing from which he created the woodcut.

Unsurprisingly, the woodcut is not a truly accurate represenation of a rhinoceros: Dürer shows the animal with hard plates covering its body, scaly legs and feet resembling hoofs, a small twisted horn on its back, and saw-like rear quarters. Although a second, more accurate, image was created by Hans Burgkmair at around the same time from the same information, Dürer's image of the woodcut is more powerful, and eclispsed the other image. Dürer's original single block print was copied many times. In around 1575, an unknown artist added a tone print, to create a chiaroscuro effect. The image very popular, and taken to be a true representation of a rhinoceros, into the 19th century.

Woodcut of Hanno the elephant, from a pamphlet by Philomathes (Rome, c. 1514).

Manuel decided to give both animals as a gift to Giovanni de Medici, Pope Leo X. Hanno the elephant was shipped to Rome in 1514 and arrived safely. The rhinoceros was put on a ship in late 1515 or early 1516, and was seen by King Francis I of France in Marseille on 24 January 1516. Continuing its journey, the ship sank near Porto Venere, and the rhinoceros died.

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