However, the sense of mysticism that surrounded the creature at this time would lead us to believe that the artist purposely added these features. The plates of armor may have been part of the design for two reasons: the armor was made for the animal for his 'fight' with the elephant in Portugal or, most likely, they were creative additions or misunderstandings by Durer of the beast. Alongside Fernandes' portrayal was a second letter from an unknown source which included a brief sketch of the rhinoceros and this is what Durer used to create drawings in ink and pen before designing the woodcut as a mirrored reflection of these sketches.

It was a Moravian merchant by the name of Valentim Fernandes who sent an account to his friend in Nuremberg that inspired the creation of this work. After the rhino featured in this work was examined by curious intellectuals and scholars many descriptions and letters made their way around Europe to inform fellow scholars. Unfortunately a freak storm saw the ship wrecked and so the carcass was recovered and stuffed in Lisbon.Īlbrecht Durer had a well-known and documented love for nature and animals, as shown in his paintings of Young Hare and Great Piece. Following this the rhino was sent as a gift to Pope Leo X as Manuel looked to increase his standings with the church and this would follow the present of a white elephant from the previous year. There were few drawings of the animal and King Manuel I used it in a fight for his amusement and it killed a young elephant in battle. It took 120 days for the boat to reach Portugal and ever since it was seen in Roman times it had generated an image of being a mythical beast and was a form of classical antiquity in the context of the art period it graced. No agreement was made but gifts were exchanged and one was an Indian rhinoceros which found its way back to Portugal and was kept in a menagerie (primitive form of a zoo) as was in keeping with the time. How the Rhino found its way to Portugal: In 1514 the governor of Portuguese India, Afonso de Albuquerque, sent men to Diu island off the north-west coast of the country as he sought permission to construct a fort there. It wasn't until the mid 1740s and the touring of a rhinoceros by the name of Clara that meant people actually knew what the animal looked like and were thus able to create paintings or drawings that were realistic of its actual features. Thought of by many as a true representation, Durer's woodcut was copied across Europe for around three centuries following its publication. It was the first time a rhinoceros had been seen on the continent for more than 60 years. Created in 1515 the artist never actually saw the animal but it was brought to Portugal by the then king, Manuel I, but died during transportation to Italy where it was meant as a gift for the Pope in 1516. Based on a sketch and brief description of an Indian rhinoceros that had been brought to Lisbon, this woodcut is commonly referred to as Durer's Rhinoceros.

First rhinoceros drawing