Eight Elephants

When an elephant stayed in Antwerp in September 1563, Gerard van Groeningen (or Paludanus) took the opportunity to sketch it in various poses. His sketches were not preserved, but the print after his design is. Eight elephants are depicted in lifelike poses in a landscape. The largest elephant, to the left, shows great resemblance to the elephant on the broadsheet by Jan Mollyns, published in the same year (British Museum: Inv. no. 1928-3-10-97). With 8-line Latin inscription by the Antwerp city physician Hugo Favolius indicating that the elephant is a state gift. The text gives further information about the construction and movements of the animal.