#Dali rhino full#

They certainly already had read the writings of Pliny the Elder, Strabo and other ancient authors: « In the same games, we also showed the rhinoceros with a horn on its nose we saw often this since :this is the second natural enemy of the elephant. Especially because of the excellent trade relations between Portuguese and Germans, a certain Albrecht Dürer, painter, got to know an animal that he will represent without having ever seen it.Engraving in a blind wayAmong the curious who flock near the Ajuda National Palace or in the streets to admire the parades of the rhinoceros, we find many scholars and scientists. The fame of the rhino is such that its coming even made a noise in the Spanish, French and Italian regions. In the royal menagerie of Manuel 1st, the perissodactyl attracts curious onlookers who come to look at the beast named Ulysse. No specimen of this kind had set foot in the old Europe for over twelve centuries and the time of the Roman games. May 20, 1515, the Nossa Senhora da Ajuda ship docked on the banks of Belém in Lisbon and the landing of the rhino undoubtedly made the biggest impression. Thus in January 1515, Alfonso de Albuquerque, governor of Portuguese India in Goa, is embarking towards Lisbon among ivory furniture and other prestigious gifts, a rhinoceros, royal gift of Muzaffar Shah II, Sultan of Cambay. The exchanges between representatives of Portuguese monarchy and Indian sultans then become commonplace to resolve conflicts, seal agreements or flatter elites.

#Dali rhino full#

With its full facade on the Atlantic Ocean, the Portugal and its browsers children, Vasco da Gama in mind, bypass the Cape of Good Hope to set foot on the Indian sand in 1498. Woodcut from around 1515, the Rhinoceros of Albrecht Dürer became a naturalist illustration icon, inspiring many artists until beginning of the twentieth century.From Goa to LisbonIn the heart of the sixteenth century, while trade and merchant ships master seas and oceans, it is extremely common to see these wedges filled with plants, spices and exotic animals to satisfy the curiosity of Europe. A couple of years ago, San Pedro decided to honour his memory by unveiling “La Danza” in the newly pedestrianised main street and declaring that the town would be an open air monument to his work.Image details from the RRC Image Gallery: The law courts’ loss was the Arts’ gain, and Espona returned to Spain, making Marbella his home and producing several outstanding pieces. Once there, however, he threw away his law books and became a sculptor.

Born in Valencia, Vincente originally trained as a lawyer, and moved to Brazil on the pretext of continuing his work. They seem to love nothing more than to uproot works of art every few years and yes, you’ve guessed it, place them in the middle of roundabouts.Ī case in point are the works of Vincente de Espona. The town planners of San Pedro Alcantara have long suffered from a bad case, not so much of musical statues, but movable statues.

I’ve always thought she is a nautical representation of what many people must feel after a big night out in Banús. This beautiful sculpture, La Sirena de Puerto Banús, in granite and marble, was created by Barcelona artist Antonio Cañete. Talking of smaller dimensions, on the paseo just to the east of “Victory” is a modest depiction of a mermaid covering her face.