Rhinoceros

Concrete decoration inspired by the 16th century woodcut by Albrecht Dürer.

The history of the Indian rhino, brought from India to Portugal in 1513, is fascinating. This animal, which was a gift for the King Manuel I, aroused great interest in its extremely exotic appearance.

There were many descriptions, more or less reflecting what he really looked like. Based on one of them, Albrecht Dürer created the famous woodcut depicting the animal. Although he never saw the rhinoceros personally, his vision electrified generations.

The artist’s special contribution is placing a small horn resembling a mythical unicorn on the animal’s back. The rhinoceros depicted in the woodcut sank along with the ship while being transported as a present for Pope Leo X.

The story of the rhinoceros and Durer’s work inspired us to create our own medieval creature from concrete.

Rhinoceros - Albrecht Durer, 1515