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The two rhinos were not copied from life, but inspired by book illustrations which, in turn, were based on Albrecht Dürer’s renowned rhinoceros woodcut. Dürer had also never seen a rhino in real life, and worked solely from a sketch by an artist who observed the animal at the Portuguese court.

On one of the rhinos, the original oil paint colouring has survived. Although it has largely discoloured over the centuries, you can still guess how the structure of the rhino’s dermal armour was delineated in various brown tones.