The Pope's Elephant - Hardcover

Bedini, Silvio A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1879941414 ISBN 13: 9781879941410

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, 1998

Synopsis

"In this tour de force of original scholarship, Silvio Bedini gives us an elephants-back view of early modern Europe. Combines offbeat charm with historical rigor to pleasing effect." - "The Independent on Sunday".

About this title

Review:

In early 16th century Rome, at the height of the Italian Renaissance, when artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo thrived in the Holy City, the decadent court of Pope Leo X was a place where visitors could find pleasures and entertainments more exotic than anything they had previously imagined. Among the Pope's great joys was his menagerie of exotic animals, and the prize of his collection was an Indian elephant named Hanno, presented to him by the King of Portugal. The Pope's Elephant by Silvio A. Bendini, Historian Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution, describes Hanno's powerful effect on the Papal Court and on the Roman citizenry. This elephant--trained to kneel, dance, weep, and trumpet on command--led parades and entertained at public festivals, and was commemorated in paintings, poetry, and sculpture. For Romans, Hanno became the pre-eminent symbol of the alluring Orient; and for Pope Leo's detractors, the elephant became a symbol of Roman corruption. Bendini's rigorous research and eager enthusiasm for his subject, and his judicious selection of whimsical illustrations, make reading The Pope's Elephant a quirky and delightful pastime. --Michael Joseph Gross

About the Author:

Silvio A. Bedini, Historian Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., served for many years as Deputy Director of the National Museum of History and Technology (now the Nation Museum of American History) and then as the Smithsonian's Keeper of the Rare Books. For many years he has been engaged in research in the Vatican museums, library and archives. He is the author of more than a dozen books.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1879941414
• ISBN 13: 9781879941410
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 312