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THE PAPAL PACHYDERMS
SILVIO A. BEDINI*
Furthermore, the missions provided opportunities francesco Penni, and Raffaelle del Colle. Meanwhile,
for unlimited ostentation. The number and rank of the the aging Leonardo da Vinci had traveled from Flor-
participants, and the nature and costliness of the gifts ence seeking Pope Leo's patronage under the auspices
they brought, reflected the importance and achieve- of the pope's brother, Giuliano, and had been accom-
ments of the sovereign, paraded on display before the modated in the Belvedere Palace in the Vatican gar-
foreign ambassadors as well as the papal court. The dens. There he patiently awaited papal commissions
missions were received by the pope with appropriate for the next several years, but waited in vain, for Ra-
pomp and ceremony, attended by the full consistory phael had become the pope's favorite.3
of cardinals, foreign ambassadors, and the Roman The times were exploding with new endeavors and
History of the Popes From the Close of the Middle Ages. Edited
et le Saint-Siege. III. Les roses d'or envoykes par les Papes aux
Nuova Antologia, Anno 54, fasc. 1136, 16 maggio 1919, pp. 105-
3-6, 105-106.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, VOL. 125, NO. 2, APRIL, 1981
75
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76 SILVIO A. BEDINI [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
N~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tristao da Cunha, the famous navigator, and Diogo Luigi de' Rossi and Cardinal Giulio de' Medici. Painting in oils by
be accompanied by a number of Portuguese noblemen, flocks of curiosity seekers crowded the harbors for a
in an entourage totaling seventy men and forty-three glimpse of the foreigners and particularly of the
beasts, including the horses and mules required for the strange large animal called an elephant. At Alicante,
The pope had established the date for the mission's populated as the people left their work and swarmed
entry into Rome to be the first Sunday of Lent, March to the waterside to see the approaching mission, sur-
12. T ate in January the mission was assembled and rounded the ship at each port of call with small boats
embarked at Lisbon, setting sail for Port of Hercules, and tried to clamber aboard.
a tiny harbor off Orbitello on the Italian coast, whence The ship reached Port of Hercules at last, and after
it would proceed on foot to Rome. some difficulties in disembarking the elephant, the
At each port of call along the route, word of the entourage began the seventy-mile journey on foot to
unusual cargo preceded the ship's arrival, and great Rome. On land they encountered even greater diffi-
Press, 1967), pp. 62-63. peasants left their fields, all anxious to see the for-
Miguel Manescal da Costa, 1749), parte III, pp. 73V 74; Achille
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VOL. 125, NO. 2, 19811 THE PAPAL PACHYDERMS 77
for the pope was then placed upon the animal's back.
FIG. 2. Pen and ink drawing of the elephant Hanno shown with
its mahout on its back and the Saracen custodian holding its trunk,,
with notations of the elephant's measurements. Attributed to Ra- denly arose and raged about them. Drenched and con-
dusty Roman road, and its feet soon became so worn as abruptly as it had begun. The sun emerged with
to the quick and sore that it was unable to proceed all its earlier brilliance, and the day remained calm
except with the greatest difficulty. Its custodians used and bright thereafter.
every means possible to ease the condition, and were The procession slowly wended its way through the
forced to make frequent stops to enable the beast to streets of Rome towards Vatican hill. The excited
rest. crowds pressed along both sides of the way along the
As the mission finally approached the outskirts of route of march and climbed the rooftops for a better
Rome a few days in advance of schedule, it sought view of the foreigners with their rich costumes. The
refuge in a cardinal's villa outside the city walls. There main attraction of the magnificent train, of course,
it would be protected from the mobs of followers that was the elephant, the first to be seen in Rome since
had given the travelers no peace along the way. But the days of the Roman empire, and as it approached
little did they foresee the degree of the crowd's curi- the emotion of the bystanders knew no bounds.
osity and determination. After the mission had retired As the cavalcade was first sighted from the Vatican,
to the security of the villa behind its great enclosure, the pope and some of the cardinals ran along the secret
the mob became rabid when it was no longer permitted passage of the Corridore from the apostolic palace
to see the elephant. They brought tools with which to the Borgia tower in front of Castel Sant' Angelo
they broke holes through the walls, and with their to obtain a better view. The Castel's papal artillery
trampling devastated the cardinal's vineyards and or- boomed out at intervals, and the music of the marching
chards, until finally the entourage made its escape to fifers and drummers filled the air, and mingled with
the pope's cannon factory a short distance away.o 6 the raucous sounds of the mob. The pope's excitement
On the morning of March 12 the travelers made as he watched the colorful cavalcade approaching
their final preparations for their formal entry into the grew until he could hardly contain himself when he
Eternal City. The Portuguese noblemen and their at- obtained his first glimpse of the elephant bedecked in
tendants donned their silk and velvet finery, the horses its finery.
and mules were groomed and decorated with elaborate Just as the large beast arrived before the Borgia
Machado (Lisboa: Guimaraes & Ca., Editores, 1951), Tomo II, pp.
9-15, 27. like a small boy, jumping about and calling out. The
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78 SILVIO A. BEDINI [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
procession continued past the Castel and made its way The delighted Romans promptly named the great
where quarters had been provided for the mission.7 to "Hanno" on the assumption that it had been named
Latin extolling the virtues of his king and relating the the Malayalam word meaning "elephant," then cur-
the Portuguese endeavors and confirming their im- the Vatican, its maintenance superintended by none
portance to Christendom. other than the pope's privy chamberlain and intimate,
The following day the king's gifts were displayed Giovanni Battista Branconio. The elephant frequently
in the Belvedere courtyard, where the pope and the performed for the pope and for the people, dancing
consistory of cardinals examined them. The mission to the sound of music and accomplishing a repertory
was eminently successful, for not only were the king's of tricks and special acts it had been taught. The pope
requests granted in a series of papal bulls, but he was devised occasions on which the beast could be publicly
also honored first with the Golden Rose and then with displayed on processions through the city, the most
Wishing to share his pleasure with the people, he de- Saeculo XVI ex Archivis Capitolino et Urbano," Memorie della
Lorenzo de' Medici, June 8, 1514 and June 10, 1514; E. Rodocan-
de Grassis, Diarorum, Tome VII, fols. 107, 176, 182; Archivio dei
de' Medici, March 20, 1514; Marquis Patric Mac Swiney de Mas-
PLATEA, 5,PE~TRI
voyees par les Papes aux Rois de Portugal au xvr sie'cle (Paris:
Muntz, "Les ep6es di'honneur distribuees par les Papes pendant les
envoyetes par les Papes aux Rois de Portugal au xvr siecle. Mem- FIG. 3. The location of Hanno's shelter, built against the wall of
oire lu au Ir Congre's Scientifique International des Catholiques the Corridore at the junction of the Borgo Sant' Angelo and the
d Fribourg, 1897 (Paris: Alphonse Picard et fils, Nditeurs, 1898), Piazza of Saint Peter. From a sixteenth-century plan of Rome. Cour-
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VOL. 125, NO. 2, 19811 THE PAPAL PACHYDERMS 79
FIG. 4. Four sketches of Hanno drawn from life in a drawing originally attributed to Raphael but now credited to Giulio Romano.
Executed in red crayon on grey paper. Courtesy the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University.
i/
FIG. 5. Hanno bearing two putti on its back, one of them holding with its mahout and guide, situated at eye level in the Loggie of
a torch. Pencil sketch by Giulio Romano, ca. 1514-1516. Formerly Raphael in the Vatican. Courtesy the Monumenti, Musei e Gallerie
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80 SILVIO A. BEDINI [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
An indifferent versifier and hanger-on at the papal equipped with a battle turret containing a number of
of Rome. l
his merits had been recognized at last. He almost burst
itself. 12
phia," Life and Letters, 5, No. 27, August 1930, p. 184; E. Rodo-
brother, Giuliano de' Medici, upon his arrival in Rome
1875), pp. 289-292; Alfred Fowler, ed., The Romance of Fine Prints
Translated into Italian by G. Guasti (Firenze: Successori Le Mon-
(Kansas City, Mo.: The Print Society, 1938), "The Story of Duirer's
nier, 1882-1889) 1: pp. 167-168; [Giorgio Vasari], Le Vite de'piu
398.
556.
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VOL. 125. NO. 2, 1981J THE PAPAL PACHYDERMS 81
* .1f",
paae fwic eto smaei ivos Elga"Fo[oE_2 fCd ab w.41,Bbitc Aotlc aiaa
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82 SILVIO A. BEDINI [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
~~~~~~1_
FIG. 8. Pope Leo X being carried in procession on his sedia gestatoria as he blesses the people with one hand and holds a rose in the
other. Surrounded by mounted cardinals and courtiers, musicians and the Swiss Guard, the pope is preceded by Hanno. Maiolica dish
made in the Cafeggiolo factory in about 1516. Courtesy the Victoria and Albert Museum.
All went well until the ship was approaching the The arrival of the mounted rhinoceros in the Eternal
coast of Genoa. Then a sudden sea storm arose which City in February, 1516, was reported by contemporary
Days later the carcass of the rhinoceros was washed pope was out of Rome at the time, and returned several
ashore. It was recovered, mounted, and sent on to weeks later from an extended visit to Bologna and
Rome again as if nothing had happened.'3 Florence. Soon thereafter he suffered a severe attack
'3 [Paolo Giovio], Dialogo dell'impresse militari et amorose; de Gabriel Giolito de' Ferrari, 1557), p. 55; Gois, op. cit., Parte IV,
Monsignor Giovio vescovo di Nocera, con un ragionamento di Mes- capit. 18: p. 491; Brito, op. cit., pp. 85-86; Fontoura da Costa, op.
ser Lodovico Domenichi, nel medesimo soggetto (Vinegia: Appreso cit., pp. 54-55.
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VOL. 125, NO. 2, 19811 THE PAPAL PACHYDERMS 83
the beast. They examined its blood and its urine, and
r4v AM*
_&-
purgative reportedly containing five hundred grams
f 4 g 4 J-~~~~~~~ o - t - - t_'d 4
to the Vatican.
a century.'6
trobus (St. Louis: B. Herder & Co., 1923) 5: pp. 224-225; Pastor,
further, it was just at this time that there arrived in
Kerr translation, op. cit. 8:, pp. 449-450; Constantin Hofler, "An-
Zustande gegen des 15. und Anfange des 16. Jahrhunderts," Ab-
and gloom. He proclaimed himself the Vicar of Christ, senschaften, Band IV, 1845, Abt. 3, pp. 36-37, 56-57; Sanuto, op.
for good measure, of the elephant Hanno. He created Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cod. Ottob. lat. 2602, Parte II, fol.
262, "Diario di Branca Tedallini; Cod. Barb. lat. 3552, fol. 27,
op. cit., p. 101, fn. 8; Sanuto, op. cit. 22: pp. 412, 443-444, 30: p.
o Processioni dopo la loro Coronazione della Basilica Vaticana alla
466.
Lateranense (Roma: Presso Luigi Lazzarini, 1802), p. 62, n. 1; Vat-
15 Baron Ludwig von Pastor, The History of the Popes From the
ican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cod. Ottob. lat. 2967,
Close of the Middle Ages. Translated by Frederick Ignatius An- fol. 94'.
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84 SILVIO A. BEDINI [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
_i
FIG.1.Theisbonhinoceosexcutednawodcuti1515byAbrchtDrer.Fomthfirsteditin.CoutesyheBriishLbrar
FIG. 10. The Lisbon rhinoceros executed in a woodcut in 1515 by Albrecht Duirer. From the first edition. Courtesy the British Library.
After so much pomp at the papal court, and possibly through his apartments, stealing everything that was
because of it, there was no pomp for the pope when negotiable, even to his clothing.'7
he died, and his funeral ceremonies were held with the The short, meteoric career of Pope Leo X and his
least display and the meanest of facilities. None of the brilliant court came to a sudden, miserable, impov-
major literary figures of the times whom he had sup- erished conclusion. The Reformation was making
ported so handsomely at his court, for example, found great strides and it was estimated that within the next
it convenient to deliver a funeral oration, and it was decade fully one-third of Europe had fallen away from
unexpected death came as a considerable shock to the At the same time the overseas empire of Portugal
members of his court, and particularly to the countless which had attained new heights and reached its zenith
ranks of his hangers-on. Suddenly their entire world under King Emanuel, began an imperceptible decline
had collapsed, and their expectations vanished into after his death, which occurred one month after that
thin air. The papal treasury was literally bankrupt, of the pope.
Vatican salaries had gone unpaid for a long period Each succeeding decade that passed slowly but
" Pastor, Kerr translation, op. cit. 8: pp. 64-65; Roscoe, op. cit.
and intimates and hangers-on surged like madmen Rivista d'Italia, Anno 1, 1, 1898, pp. 631-632.
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VOL. 125, NO. 2, 1981J THE PAPAL PACHYDERMS 85
8 Ludovico Barone von Pastor, Storia dei Papi dalla Fine del
Medio Evo. Versione Italiano del Sac. Prof Angelo Mercati (Roma:
a strong link between Portugal and the Holy See, and cinio Cappelli, S.P.A., 1967), pp. 203-211.
A*- ,*&
Fearing.Pdn ri the Lisbo of Hans r in rhinoerostdrneat tebo a page ofth thqe cpraye bo oeror i ,
beainG. the monogramiof Hans Altdorferin the Lsowhioer lfosraner Coutes the bitto iothapaequheMuicprayer deo BsnonmeorMxmiinI
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86 SILVIO A. BEDINI [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
DM
rTEmroaLAvQS5.sV?EAIM A4Ad,ACCVMVLA'rE.L10oI.
V I X IT ANN0S VJI I
P 0 S V I T.
A r.E &E Ti r v iT if
executed in pen and ink by the Portuguese artist, Francisco d' 01-
entrance and copied in pen and ink into his sketchbook by Francisco
d' Ollanda during his visit to Rome 1538-1539. Courtesy the Bib-
form.
Other characteristics are the ribbed ear, short tusks,
awaiting discovery.
'9 Winner, op. cit., pp. 71-75; Escorial, Palacio del Escorial, Bib-
Istituto di Studi Romani, Editore, 1957), pp. 12-13, 24-25, 30-36; the end of the eighteenth century. In an effort to raise
Martinus Nijhoff, 1948), pp. 177-181. tificial vestments that were no longer in use. Among
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VOL. 125, NO. 2, 19811 THE PAPAL PACHYDERMS 87
FIG. 15. Chariot with putti drawn by an elephant executed in stucco bas relief by Giovanni da Udine on the ceiling of the atrium of
the Portinaria of the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne in Rome. Produced between 1515 and 1520. Courtesy Fratelli Alinari, Florence.
future generations.
Cesare Bedeschini in 1625, on the centenary of Branconio's death. thread with which they had been woven. Thus nothing
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88 SILVIO A. BEDINI [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
FIG. 17. Sketch for the painting "The Triumph of Scipio" by Giulio Romano featuring two elephants shown in poses similar to those
in figure 4 by the same artist. Courtesy Cabinet des Dessins, the Louvre.
And what remained in Portugal relating to King countergift for the elephant in 1514. Originally in-
A lone survivor, however, may be a large carved as a consequence of the earthquake and several re-
del glorioso Papa Pio VI negli ultimi tre anni del suo pontificato
21 Lisbon, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, Arquivo Mes- sende, "Embaixada de El-Rei D. Manuel ao Papa Leao X," 0 Pan-
quitela; Conselho Nobilarcho de Portugal, pp. 117-120; A. S. Gav- orama, Jornal Litterario e Instructivo, Terco da Terceira Serie II,
etas da Torre do Tombo, Centro de Estudos Historicos Ultramar- 1854, pp. 219-222, 253-255, 261-263, 271-272, 274-275; Le Mar-
inos, Livro XV, pp. 8-9, Livro IV, pp. 208-211. quis Patric Mac Swiney de Mashanaglass, Le Portugal et le Saint-
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VOL. 125, NO. 2, 19811 THE PAPAL PACHYDERMS 89
=-~~4
FIG. 19. Top view of third or fourth cheek tooth of a young Indian
claimed to have been a countergift from Pope Leo X to King Eman- silized, and were of a much more recent period. They
uel I and sent to Lisbon in 1514. In the Sala des Pegas, of the royal
palace at Sintra.
the Via del Elefante. An inn across the street, "At the
peared.23
23 Rome, Archivio di Stato di Roma, Archivio di San Spirito FIG. 20. Side view of elephant's tooth recovered from the Vatican
1458, cc. 24-25, 1460, cc. 3435; Lanciani, op. cit., pp. 239, 242; Library courtyard. Courtesy the Vatican's Monumenti, Musei e
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90 SILVIO A. BEDINI [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
Hanno's tusks.25
yard has not been determined. One day an excavation
25 The tooth and bone fragments were identified by Dr. Frank C. then its poetic epitaph will be erected once more on
Leo X.26
the papal elephant. Her paper on "Antichi elefanti in Vaticano" 26 The elephant of Pope Leo X and the Lisbon rhinoceros are the
delivered before the Accademia will be published in the next issue subjects of a book-length work by the same author, entitled "The
of the Rendiconti of the Vatican. Pope's Elephant," scheduled for publication in the near future.
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