One Answer

  1. The first rhinoceros was brought to Europe from India and presented to King Emmanuel of Portugal on May 1, 1512. Local artists could not help but record such an event, and Durer, apparently, relied on their drawings. His rhino is covered in sheets of armor like a knight. The anatomical folds of the rhinoceros skin really coincide with the boundaries of the “armor”. Durer depicts the rhinoceros as if its armor is riveted together, and its legs, muzzle and horn are covered with scales. And although these details are only a figment of his imagination, until the nineteenth century this image was considered reliable and even included in textbooks.

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