The famous 17th-century elephant sketched by Rembrandt in 1637 was Hansken.
Hansken was a female Sri Lankan elephant born around 1630 in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. She was brought to the Netherlands in 1637 at the request of Prince Frederick Henry and became a celebrated traveling performer in Europe. Rembrandt saw her in Amsterdam that year and made four chalk sketches, carefully recording her body, ears, trunk and feet.
Hansken toured fairs and cities across the Netherlands and Germany. Audiences watched her wave a flag, beat a drum, fire a pistol, wear a hat, carry a bucket and pick up coins. Her performances fed a widespread 17th-century fascination with elephants and their supposed intelligence.
She is sometimes confused with Hanno, the elephant sent to Rome for Pope Leo X, but Hanno lived earlier and belonged to a different famous story. Hansken died in Florence in 1655, and her skeleton is preserved there. Rembrandt also included her in the background of his 1638 etching Adam and Eve.