Non medieval elephants

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.

The "Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges" was erected as a replacement for an 11th-century structure. The construction started probably in the last quarter of the 12th century, around the same time when the builders and bricklayers started in Chartres. The choir of the cathedral was in use by 1214, the nave was finished 1255. The cathedral was consecrated in 1324. The cathedral covers a surface of 5,900 m². The nave is 15 metres wide and 37 metres high, the inner aisle is 21.3 metres high. There are no transepts, but two aisles on either side forming a double ambulatory around the choir. The portals are breathtaking! As I have uploaded already so many photos I took during earlier visits (just search "Bourges" on my stream), I will ad only a few more for now. some of them just small details like this one. There are lots of graffiti inside and outside the cathedral. The French Wars of Religions and the Revolutions left many of them on the walls. This nice elephant is probably from the 19th century.

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession. Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century. A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status +of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful, The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings. In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages. - Only a very small part of the "Palazzo degli Elefanti" (aka "Palazzo Municipale") can be seen. The palace was built after the eruption of the Aetna (1669) and the 1693 earthquake. It was completed in 1735. In 1736 Giovan Battista Vaccarini, the architect of the palace, built this fountain decorated with an obelisk-bearing elephant, by now the landmark of the city of Catania. It remembers stronly to Bernini's elephants in Rome, but it is quite different. Vaccarini found the elephant, that dates back to Roman times, in the ruins of the destroyed city. The Egyptian obelisk was also found by chance. So Vaccarini equipped the elephant with a white marble saddlecloth and erected the obelisk on it. A cross was placed on the top as a symbol of Christianity to arm the city against further natural disasters.

The "Obelisco della Minerva" (aka "Bernini elephant", "Elephant and Obelisk") is the smallest of all Egyptian obelisks in Rome. It was found during excavations in the garden of a nearby Dominican abbey in 1665. Pope Alexander VII commissioned Lorenzo Bernini to design an elegant "substructure" for the small obelisk. Various preparatory drawings and sketches done by Bernini still exist. Bernini may have been influenced by the popular romance "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili", probably written by Venetian Francesco Colonna. It was first published in 1499 with many woodcut illustrations. Seen on one of them is an artifical elephant ("elephantina machina") with an obelisk on his back. As well the story of Pope Leo X´s elephant Hanno ("Annone") was surely still popular. The Pope had received the Indian elephant as a gift from King Manuel I of Portugal. It came to Rome in 1514 - and died two years later. The sculpture was probably executed by Bernini´s assistant Ercole Ferrata and was unveiled here in 1667.

The "Obelisco della Minerva" (aka "Bernini elephant", "Elephant and Obelisk") is the smallest of all Egyptian obelisks in Rome. It was found during excavations in the garden of a nearby Dominican abbey in 1665. Pope Alexander VII commissioned Lorenzo Bernini to design an elegant "substructure" for the small obelisk. Various preparatory drawings and sketches done by Bernini still exist. Bernini may have been influenced by the popular romance "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili", probably written by Venetian Francesco Colonna. It was first published in 1499 with many woodcut illustrations. Seen on one of them is an artifical elephant ("elephantina machina") with an obelisk on his back. As well the story of Pope Leo X´s elephant Hanno ("Annone") was surely still popular. The Pope had received the Indian elephant as a gift from King Manuel I of Portugal. It came to Rome in 1514 - and died two years later. The sculpture was probably executed by Bernini´s assistant Ercole Ferrata and was unveiled here in 1667.

The Latvijas Nacionālais mākslas muzejs (Latvian National Museum of Art) is the richest collection of national art in Latvia. It houses more than 52,000 works of art reflecting the development of art in the Baltic area from the middle of the 18th century until the present time. Circus 1872

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is only 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century Tallinn was known as Reval. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a raid in 1219 led by Valdemar II. In 1227, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword conquered Reval and three years later recruited 200 Westphalian and Lower Saxon merchants from Gotland, who settled below the castle and were granted freedom of customs and land. In 1238 Reval fell back to Denmark, Under renewed Danish rule, the city rapidly grew in size and economic importance. In 1248, the Danish king granted it the Lübische Stadtrecht (town charter). Due to the strategic location, its port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. The king of Denmark sold Reval along with other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. The "Niguliste kirik" (St. Nicholas Church) was founded and built around 1230–1275 by Westphalian merchants. In 1405–1420 the church obtained its current late Gothic appearance. In 1515 the tower was built higher and in late 17th century, it got a Baroque spire with airy galleries, which was raised higher stage by stage through several centuries. The tower is now 105 metres (344.5 ft) high. Saint Nicholas was the only church in Tallinn that remained untouched by iconoclasm brought by the Protestant Reformation in 1523. The church was converted to a Lutheran congregation in the 16th century. In 1944, the church was severely damaged by bombing. The resulting fire turned the church into ruins and destroyed most of its interior. Most art treasures survived thanks to their timely evacuation from the church. The renovation of the church started in 1953 and was completely finished in 1981. The church tower was again damaged by a fire in October 1982. The tower was burnt out. After a restoration the church was inaugurated in 1984 as a museum and concert hall. There are many epitaphs hanging on the walls of the church. This one is by Gotthard Wilhelm von Helffreich (ca. 1693 -1751). I have not found out the connection the von Hellfreich family had to elephants.

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is only 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century Tallinn was known as Reval. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a raid in 1219 led by Valdemar II. In 1227, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword conquered Reval and three years later recruited 200 Westphalian and Lower Saxon merchants from Gotland, who settled below the castle and were granted freedom of customs and land. In 1238 Reval fell back to Denmark, Under renewed Danish rule, the city rapidly grew in size and economic importance. In 1248, the Danish king granted it the Lübische Stadtrecht (town charter). Due to the strategic location, its port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. The king of Denmark sold Reval along with other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. The Tallinn Great Guild was founded around 1325. The most influential merchants were united in this guild. Only married rich merchants or goldsmiths who owned a house could become members of the guild. Unmarried merchants could only become members of the Brotherhood of Blackheads. The late Gothic house of the Great Guild was built in 1410. Religious ceremonies, concerts, theatre performances as well as festivities and drinking parties took place here. Since 1952, the Great Guild Hall has been the building of the Estonian History Museum. According to old Hindu mythology, the world is supported on the backs of four elephants, themselves resting on the back of a turtle. This "image" is known in Europe since John Locke and was discussed by German philosophers of the 18th century. Even Goethe wrote about it. In the Discworld series created by Terry Pratchett, the world is said to be a flat plane sitting on top of four elephants astride the shell of a giant turtle named A'Tuin. Here are actually three (instead of four) elephants. I was surprised to find the fine ivory carving in the museum's exhibition about maps.

A legend attributes Kraków's founding to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a dragon, Smok Wawelski. The first written record dates to 965, when Kraków was described as a notable commercial center captured by a Bohemian duke Boleslaus I in 955. The first ruler of Poland, Mieszko I, took Kraków from the Bohemians. In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a center of trade. Brick buildings were constructed, including the Royal Wawel Castle. The city was sacked and burned during the Mongol invasion of 1241. It was rebuilt and incorporated in 1257 by Bolesław V the Chaste who introduced city rights. In 1259, the city was again ravaged by the Mongols. The third attack in 1287 was repelled thanks in part to the newly built fortifications. The city rose to prominence in 1364, when Casimir III founded the University of Kraków, the second oldest university in central Europe. But after Casimir´s death in 1370 the campus did not get completed. As the capital of the Kingdom of Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League, the city attracted craftsmen from abroad, guilds as science and the arts began to flourish. The 15th and 16th centuries are known as Poland's "Złoty Wiek" (Golden Age). After childless King Sigismund II had died in 1572, the Polish throne passed to Henry III of France and then to other foreign-based rulers in rapid succession, causing a decline in the city's importance that was worsened by pillaging during the Swedish invasion and by an outbreak of bubonic plague that left 20,000 of the city's residents dead. In 1596, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa moved the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Kraków to Warsaw. - Protected from the pigeons, an elephant and a rhinoceros embellish the facade of a house at the Grodzka Street (Ulica Grodzka).