Elephant

From the Middle Ages, elephants in European art were symbols of exoticism and imperial power. Monti’s sculpture, carefully observed from life, distinguishes itself as a scientifically accurate, even individualized, rendering of the animal. The elephant, carved in grey matte marble, is represented with heightened naturalistic detail. An inscription on the base of the plaster model for the sculpture confirms that the work was modeled dal naturale (“from life”). The subject is likely an Asian male elephant who traveled throughout Europe between 1770 to 1775. First documented in Paris, where the species had not been seen since the seventeenth century, the elephant then made its way from Venice to Naples, passing through Milan in 1774. Monti must have seen the young elephant at this time. The animal’s static pose and presentation on a base of yellow and white marble evoke the ancient animal sculptures of the Sala degli Animali in the Pio-Clementino, which Monti studied during his extended stay in Rome. Combining close observations from nature with antiquarian aesthetics, Monti adapted the Roman tradition for the modern portrayal of an elephant.