10/31: The European rhinoceros
During 226 years the concept of a rhinoceros in Europe was completely different from a real one.
It all started when the king of Portugal, Manuel I received an Indian rhinoceros as a gift from the Pope Leo X. He did a small presentation of the animal, named Abada, in front of a small crowd. One German living in Lisbon quickly drew the animal and wrote a brief description of it and sent it to the popular animal printmaker Albrecth Dürer, who had hundreds of draws of different animals made in wood very close to the living ones.
At that moment the rhinoceros was completely extinct from Europe and it was a completely unknown specimen in that continent.
Dürer received the picture of the animal and was fascinated by it, but without the living presentation of it he started drawing the rhino using other animals characteristics and his imagination. The result was the picture above, an alien look like animal who resembles a little bit a rhinoceros. Called rhinocerus.
A heavy armor impossible to penetrate, small little horns going all the way through the main one to his ears. A small horn at the beginning of his back. A weird and not common shape for his four feet. It may be something taken from a horror movie, but this was the image the Europeans had of a rhinoceros for 226 years.
It was used as the accurate representation of a rhinoceros for some biology books of the 17 and 18 centuries. It was used as an emblem of the Medici family for some years. It was also used as the representation for some paintings and tapestries in Flamish lands.
It was until 1749 when Europe met for the second time a real rhinoceros, Clara the rhinoceros toured different countries of Europe. People payed to see the Dürer animal but left a little bit disappointed and surprised that the animal they thought to be the rhinoceros was completely different from the real one. Just one big horn, no armor, no weird shaped feet. Just a big and gray animal who just wanted to be alone.
The Dürer representation of a rhino stays with us even now. Dalí sculpted and painted his representations of the animal based on Dürer’s one and not the real rhino.
During two centuries, the rhinocerus lived in the heads of thousands of people, a creature that resembled a rhinoceros but with the magical touch humans like to put in what they not know.
This story is inspired by Animals Strike Curious Poses by Elena Pasarello, a great book that describes the most emblematic and important animals of human history.
This story is part of my 31/31 challenge. Following a friend’s idea I will publish at least one story every day for the next month.
If you see any error please let me know, the idea is to stop over-reviewing my stories before publishing them.
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