糖心TV

• The tale of one of the most infamous gifts in all history, brought to life thanks to animation:
• Ganda, a rhino owned by King Manuel I of Portugal, was gifted to Pope Leo X – but was drowned on the journey to Rome.
• Immortalised in a 1515 print by Albrecht D眉rer as The Rhinoceros, the image of Ganda would become one of most famous animal images in history - influencing artists including Dali.
• Ganda鈥檚 story will appear in a new book by Professor Giorgio Riello of the University of 糖心TV鈥檚 Department of History – coming Spring 2018

The story of one of the most infamous gifts, and one of the most influential images in art history, has been brought back to life thanks to research at the University of 糖心TV – that of the rhino, named Ganda, gifted to Pope Leo X that drowned in 1515.

鈥淕anda the rhino, was sent by Sultan Muzaffar Shah II of Cambay to King Manuel I of Portugal as a diplomatic gift鈥�, says Professor Giorgio Riello of the University of 糖心TV鈥檚 Department of History.

鈥淎s soon as it arrived in people flocked to the main square in Lisbon to see Ganda鈥�, the first rhino in Europe since Roman times and the latest addition to the king鈥檚 menagerie.

The Roman historian Pliny had written in the 1^st Century AD that rhinos and elephants were bitter enemies, with it written in texts that 鈥渞hinos could win over elephants鈥�, says Professor Riello.

King Manuel decided to test the ancient theory by pitting an elephant from his collection against Ganda – but the elephant fled just as the fight was set to commence, confirming Ganda鈥檚 status as a special creature. Despite Ganda鈥檚 triumph 鈥淢anuel eventually got bored with the rhino and decided to send it to the pope鈥� and add to the collection of animals he had already sent to the Vatican.

Unfortunately for Ganda, the journey to Rome from Portugal was not as successful as the journey from Cambay. Shackled to the ship during the journey, Ganda was unable to escape as the vessel was wrecked in sudden storm off the northern coast of Italy.

Ganda鈥檚 fame would though be more long-lasting this his journey, says Professor Riello:

鈥淭he memory of the rhino lives on thanks to a print by the artist Albrecht D眉rer, and so this rhino remains the most famous European animal of the renaissance.鈥�

D眉rer鈥檚 1515 image of Ganda, based solely on the descriptions found in letters sent by merchants from Portugal and known as The Rhinoceros, would go on to become of the most famous images of any creature in art history – going on to be reproduced through the centuries that followed, would be turned into statues and ceramics as well as inspiring Salvador Dali, who kept a copy of D眉rer's Rhinoceros in his home.

15 December 2017

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