Rhinoceros

"In Multicolor"

A rhinoceros, its thick hide etched with deep folds. This curious creature, which has captivated people since ancient times, stands quietly before us in a vivid array of colors.

The free play of color transforms this one animal into something that seems to have stepped out of a fairy tale. Far removed from any real rhinoceros, it nonetheless loses none of its imposing presence. If anything, its newfound playfulness only deepens the sense of strength it carries.

An artwork depicting a denizen of dreams, radiating a mysterious presence all its own.

Rhinoceros

Five species of rhinoceros survive in the world today: the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) of Africa, and the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), and the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) of Asia.

The animal depicted in this work is the black rhinoceros. The black and white rhinoceroses are both large African species, and although their names might suggest a difference in color, there is in fact almost no difference between them in hue — both are gray. What sets them apart most clearly is the shape of their mouths. The white rhinoceros has a flat, broad upper lip suited to grazing on grasses, while the black rhinoceros has a pointed, prehensile upper lip that allows it to deftly pluck leaves and twigs from trees and shrubs. In addition, the white rhinoceros walks with its head held low for grazing, whereas the black rhinoceros moves through forest and scrubland with its head held somewhat higher. The two horns set upon the brow are a feature shared by both species.

The first rhinoceros known to Europe was a single animal sent in 1515 from India to King Manuel I of Portugal, arriving as the first rhinoceros to set foot on European soil since Roman times. Working only from written descriptions, the German artist Albrecht Dürer is believed to have produced his famous woodcut, "Rhinocerus."

© Trustees of the British Museum

From its armor-like, deeply furrowed appearance, the animal depicted is thought to have been a single-horned Indian rhinoceros. Though said to have been created without ever seeing the creature itself, its exaggerated, rivet-studded armored form captivated viewers and went on to define the European image of the rhinoceros for centuries to come.

From the sculptures of Salvador Dalí to Eugène Ionesco's play "Rhinoceros," countless later artists have drawn upon the rhinoceros as a motif — and in many of their works, the influence of Dürer's "Rhinocerus" can clearly be seen.