In Culture
| Artist | Albrecht Dürer |
|---|---|
| Year | 1515 |
| Type | woodcut |
| Dimensions | 24.8 cm × 31.7 cm (9.8 in × 12.5 in) |
The Indian rhinoceros was the first rhino widely known outside its range. The first rhinoceros to reach Europe in modern times arrived in Lisbon on May 20, 1515. King Manuel I of Portugal planned to send the rhinoceros to Pope Leo X, but the rhino perished in a shipwreck. Before dying, the rhino had been sketched by an unknown artist. The German artist Albrecht Dürer saw the sketches and descriptions and carved a woodcut of the rhino, known ever after as Dürer's Rhinoceros. Though the drawing had some anatomical inaccuracies (notably the hornlet protruding from the rhino's shoulder), his sketch became the enduring image of a rhinoceros in western culture for centuries.
The British public had their first chance to view a rhinoceros (presumably this species) in 1683; it unknowingly caused a political row when the notorious Judge Jeffreys, in one of his lighter moments, spread a rumour that his chief rival, Lord Guildford, had been seen riding on it.
Assam state of India has one-horned rhino as the official state animal. It is also the organizational logo for Assam Oil Company Ltd.
Read more about this topic: Indian Rhinoceros
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