Trzebiatów - Hansken

The baroque drawing was made in the sgraffito technique. The drawing depicts Hanken, a female elephant. The sgraffito was created in 1639, as then a circus came to Trzebiatów.

Its main attraction was an elephant that could pick up money from the ground, shoot from a musket, march and fence with a rapier. One of the inhabitants of Trzebiatów had this event immortalized on the facade of his house. Later the work was covered by a layer of plaster. It was rediscovered in 1914 during the renovation of the house.The drwaing is about 3 metres high.

Hansken, born in 1630 in Ceylon, was brought to Holland in 1637. Hansken toured fairs in the Netherlands and Germany and was a kind of showstar. Rembrandt saw her and made four sketches of her.

In 1651, Hansken travelled from Switzerland to Rome. On the way back from Rome, the elephant died in Florence in 1655.

The skeleton of Hansken is still preserved in Florence at Museo della Specola.