NGV 150th_2

When i was actually working in the truck i was told about the rhino that was walking around. I was informed of how it was a depection by an artist named Albrecht Durer In 1513 a rhinoceros named Ganda arrived in Lisbon having survived the trip from India. It was the first rhino in Europe since the Roman Empire. While the Belém Tower was being built, it was decided to make the Gargoyles around the tower that looked like rhinos. King Manuel I of Portugal decided to send the rhino on to Pope Leo X as a gift. Unfortunately, there was a sudden storm arose off the coast of Italy and the ship sank. Poor Ganda was chained and secured on deck, so he went down with the ship. The story goes that the body was recovered and stuffed with straw. However, that may have been beyond 16th century taxidermy skills. Regardless, a description of the rhino and a brief sketch made its way to Germany. Albrecht Durer used this information to make his world famous wood carving of a rhino, even though he'd actually never seen one. The next rhino didn't make it to Europe until 1579. who had never seen a rhino but wanted to create a wood carving from what he thought one looked like. He had heard limited information due to there not being any in europe. Remarkably his drawings and then wood carving resembled a rhino similarly to what one actually looks like. Durer had this idea that the rhino was covered in armour and w
Anyway the for the 150th a life size puppet of the carving was created, it was controlled by one puppeteer from the back and in my eyes it was one of the best puppets i have ever seen. Not only was the puppeteer so creative and constantly amazing the crowd but the crowd and foot traffic were so engrossed and in amazement that kids and even adults were getting scared. When the Rhino turned on them. It would be walking along and suddenly start sniffing someone, then it would start to lie down sometimes squishing people against a fence and even wiggling its tail.