Artwork Page for The Rhinoceros

Details / Information for The Rhinoceros

The Rhinoceros

1515

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Culture
Germany
Medium
woodcut
Measurements
Image: 23.8 x 30.1 cm (9 3/8 x 11 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1993.9
Catalogue raisonné
Meder 273
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

In May 1515, the first rhinoceros since antiquity to reach Europe alive arrived in Lisbon, Portugal. The ruler of Gujarat, Sultan Muzafar II, presented the exotic beast to the governor of Portuguese India, Alfonso d’Albuquerque, who then sent it to King Manuel I. Later that year, the king sent the animal as a political gift to Pope Leo X. Sadly, the ship sank on its way to Italy, and the rhinoceros drowned. Dürer and his contemporaries were fascinated with discoveries of the natural world, and as the rhinoceros made its journey, reports of the animal spread across Europe. Although he never saw the rhinoceros himself, Dürer based his woodcut of the animal on a description and a sketch that was sent to Nuremberg. The Latin text at the top of the print describes the rhinoceros to be the color of a speckled tortoise, covered in thick plates, and so well armed that even an elephant could not fend it off.
A woodcut print in black ink on paper depicts a rhinoceros in profile facing right. Its body is rendered as thick, armor-like plates textured with meticulous scales and raised circular bumps. A small horn sprouts from its shoulder. German text lines the top border. Above the animal's back, the title "RHINOCERVS," the date "1515," and a monogram of "A" nested inside "D" are printed. The creature stands on a sparsely hatched ground.

The Rhinoceros

1515

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Germany

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