Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: Representing India in the Medici Collections

• In Event: The Collection as Laboratory

Abstract

When Pope Leo X de’ Medici’s beloved Indian elephant died in 1516, the animal was immortalized in artistic commissions. Similarly, an Indian rhinoceros sent to Leo X inspired Dürer’s canonical woodcut, Duke Alessandro’s emblem, and a sculpted rhino in the grotto of the Villa Medici at Castello. In subsequent years, members of the Medici family continued to demonstrate their interest in Indian naturalia in a number of ways. For instance, Francesco I collected rare plant samples for his medicinal garden, and Ferdinando I stockpiled pineapples, coconuts, pepper, and semi-precious stones from India. This talk will consider how the commission of images and the import of artifacts, gems, plants, and living animals from India together produced a new epistemological framework for this 'exotic' sub-continent. In this case study, the collection therefore becomes a site not only for the passive display of goods, but for the manufacture of global knowledge.

Author

• Erin Benay, Case Western Reserve University