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The Elephant

A work made of engraving on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving on ivory laid paper.

Date:

c. 1485

Artist:

Martin Schongauer
German, c. 1430/50-1491

About this artwork

Martin Schongauer may have engraved his fantastical Griffin and his Elephant as a pair, given their similar scale. Although he may have had the opportunity to see a real elephant in 1483, this depiction is clearly inaccurate by modern standards. Nonetheless, by the mid-16th century, his print became the basis for scientific illustration in Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner’s 1551 book on animals. The two prints may also relate to Schongauer’s series of coats of arms with fanciful animals decorating their shields.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Martin Schongauer

Title

The Elephant

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Artist's working dates 1450–1491

Medium

Engraving on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image: 10.2 × 12.8 cm (4 1/16 × 5 1/16 in.); Sheet: 10.2 × 13 cm (4 1/16 × 5 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

Reference Number

1956.912

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/3997/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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