In the Middle Ages, artists knew that elephants existed, but they had never seen them. They had to depict elephants only from descriptions. A giant creature with a long pipe instead of a nose, with huge tusks and without knee joints, who lives for several centuries... What would come to your mind? Let's see how elephants were painted in the Middle Ages.
Imagine a giant creature with four legs without knee joints, who cannot lie down and sleeps leaning against a tree. A creature with a long pipe instead of a nose, reaching such a size that it is quite possible to build a small castle on its back. This animal is terribly afraid of mice and lives for 300 years. This is roughly how medieval artists described elephants. And then they improvised.
The artists had never seen this beast with their own eyes, but they knew about its existence. They had to draw elephants only from the stories of travelers - and they always got different options. These images of elephants have been found throughout Europe at different times:
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