August 20, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



233 



ascertained, for the only time, in the History. 

 A hasty or imperfect reading of this legend 

 undoubtedly led to the error. The legend 

 freely translated reads as follows : 



This is a picture by Albert Diirer, in which 

 that illustrious painter (whose works on drawing 

 still exist ) depicts most admirably the Rhinoceros 

 sent to Emmanuel, king of Portugal, at Lisbon, 

 in the year of grace 1515, from the district of 

 Cambay in India. I have lately seen a painting 

 of a Rhinoceros, that is the Nose-horn, represent- 

 ing an animal of this kind, which was recently 

 sent to the king of Portugal from India, and 

 Augustus Justinianus has with certainty identi- 

 fied this very drawing which we here reproduce 

 as a true likeness.' 



The meaning towards the close of the last 

 sentence is rather obscure. What is literally 

 said is : " Aug. Justinianus recognizes un- 

 questionably this very likeness which we 

 here give." Apparently Gesner intended to 

 say that he had recently seen a painting (pre- 

 sumably from life) of the rhinoceros in 

 question, or of one like it, and that Augustin 

 Justinianus, who had probably seen the ani- 

 mal alive, vouched for Diirer's sketch as a true 

 likeness. Diirer's fame as an artist was suffi- 

 cient guaranty for the drawing as a work of 

 art, but Gesner wished to make it clear that it 

 was a good likeness and therefore of scientific 

 value also. This is the best interpretation 

 which we can give. The meaning could 

 hardly be that this drawing of Diirer's was a 

 good likeness of the painting referred to, for 



' For the benefit of any who may wish to con- 

 sult the original, I give the text of the legend as 

 it stands in the first edition of Gesner: " Pictura 

 haec Alberti Dureri est, qua clarissimus ille pictor 

 (cuius etiam libri de pictura extant) Rhinoeero- 

 tem Emmanueli Lusitaniae regi anno salutis 1515, 

 ft Cambaia Indiae regione Ulysbonam allatum, 

 perpulchre expressit. Rhinocerotis, id est nari- 

 cornis, nuper pictam vidimus imaginem, refer- 

 entem ex hoc genere animal, quod per haec tem- 

 pera Lusitano regi ex India allatum est, Aug. 

 Justinianus hanc ipsam indubi6, quam hie damus, 

 imaginem intelligens." Conradi G«sneri medici 

 Tigurini Historiae Animalium, Lib. 1. de Quadru- 

 pedibus viviparis. ("De Rhinocerote," p. 952.) 

 liguri apud Christ. Froschoverum. Anno 

 M. D. L I. 



Gesner had seen both and would be as good 

 a judge as any. 



This was the first Indian rhinoceros (R. 

 unicornis) to be seen alive in Europe since 

 the days of the Roman amphitheatres, and it 

 naturally created a great sensation. It was 

 sent to Lisbon in 1513, and not in 1515, as 

 stated by Gesner, and without doubt by one 

 of those Portuguese generals who were then 

 making important conquests in India. Pos- 

 sibly more than one of these animals was im- 

 ported at about this time, the first of which 

 is said to have demolished its cage while on the 

 journej". Emmanuel is further reported to 

 have sent a rhinoceros in the same year (1513) 

 to Pope Leo X., and to have also matched one 

 in a fight with an elephant, in which the 

 latter was worsted. 



" Aug. Justinianus," the now somewhat 

 mysterious authority referred to by Gesner, 

 was without doubt the Augustin of that name 

 (14Y0-1536), at one time bishop of Nebbio in 

 Corsica, and again professor in the University 

 at Paris, a celebrated Oriental scholar, divine 

 and writer of the period. He may have been 

 a friend of Gesner, and at all events had evi- 

 dently seen the animal referred to alive. 



Several artists may have tried their skill in 

 delineating this novel animal, and one at 

 least in the capacity of friend or admirer 

 sent Diirer a description of the beast and en- 

 closed a sketch of it. From these data, and 

 not from a description alone, as has been 

 often asserted, Diirer composed his now 

 famous drawing, which was engraved on wood 

 and first published in 1515. Diirer's original 

 drawing is preserved in the British Museum, 

 and bears on its lower margin, in the artist's 

 own hand, a note, which in translation reads 

 as follows ■' 



Item in the year 1513, on May 1, they brought 

 our King of Portugal at Lisbon such a beast 



' In addition to assistance received from various 

 friends in the elucidation of certain questions, 

 I desire to specially acknowledge the courtesy of , 

 Mr. J. L. Farnum, of the Library of Congress, 

 for supplying the translation of the Diirer in- 

 scription and other interesting notes pertaining 

 to this subject. 



