Hansken was born in Sri Lanka, known at the time as Ceylon, in 1630. The exhibition, titled “ Hansken, Rembrandt’s Elephant,” features works by other artists who were similarly enthralled by the animal, along with historical documents and a digital map tracing her performances across Europe.
“e drew her ‘after life,’ with attention to every detail including her short hairs, skin folds and the movement of her feet and trunk.” “ drawings of Hansken really show him observing closely and with great interest,” says curator Leonore van Sloten in a statement.
Rembrandt drew detailed sketches of Hansken, in addition to including her in his 1638 etching Adam and Eve in Paradise, where she represents chastity and grace. Now, reports Nina Siegal for the New York Times, an exhibition at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam explores the artist’s fascination with Hansken-and highlights her tragic life as a spectacle in a foreign land. Among those dazzled by this exotic creature, known by the name Hansken, was the preeminent Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn.
In the mid-17th century, residents of Amsterdam flocked to see a strange and incredible sight: an Asian elephant, imported from Sri Lanka, who could perform a repertoire of tricks. Rembrandt created this sketch of Hansken, an Asian elephant brought to Europe from Sri Lanka, in 1637.