An iconic Renaissance image has inspired a cutting-edge contemporary sculpture. The British Museum in London partnered with Asprey Studio’s Kent-based workshop to design hand-sculpted sterling silver rhinoceroses—each with its own digital component—inspired by Albrecht Dürer’s famous zoological drawing.
“It is exciting and fascinating to see the work from the master craftspeople of Asprey Studio continue the tradition of interpreting the Rhinoceros in a new and truly innovative way,” said Roderick Buchanan, commercial director of the British Museum.
Contemporary Rhinoceros Sculpture Inspired by Dürer Drawing
Albrecht Dürer—the German painter, printmaker, and theorist—was among the greatest artists of the Renaissance. In 1515, he famously drew The Rhinoceros without ever having seen the animal himself. The preparatory drawing, later executed as a woodcut, was instead inspired by written descriptions of the first rhinoceros seen in Europe since the ancient Roman era.
The Rhinoceros, while inaccurate with its armor-like anatomy, proliferated across the continent and shaped what Europeans believed rhinoceroses really looked like. Olenka Horbatsch, the curator of Dutch, Flemish, and German prints and drawings at the British Museum, said, “Dürer’s Rhinoceros is a famous image that has been a part of the cultural imagination for centuries and has inspired countless versions, copies, and adaptations.”
The original Dürer drawing now belongs to the British Museum, which partnered with Asprey Studio to reimagine the centuries-old rhinoceros for contemporary collectors. Asprey Studio is a UK-based digital and contemporary art gallery, design workshop, and members’ club whose work explores the crossroads between physical craftsmanship and digital media. The studio’s team of master silversmiths studied the original 1515 drawing to design and produce 11 handcrafted sterling silver sculptures.
“A Remarkable Fusion” of Silversmithing Techniques
The silver rhinoceros sculptures were handcrafted by master silversmiths at the Asprey Studio Workshop in Kent, England. Each measures nearly 16 inches long, much larger than a typical silver sculpture. According to Alastair Walker, artist and Asprey Studio’s chief creative officer, “This collection represents a remarkable fusion of traditional silversmithing techniques and cutting-edge production processes. The result is a sculpture that is not only substantial in size but also unparalleled in detail, reflecting Dürer’s work.”
Over 90 individually crafted pieces comprise each rhinoceros sculpture. Asprey Studio’s expert team of engravers, polishers, and artisans shaped and refined each piece before the final assembly. The first sculpture took over eight months to complete, after which the silversmithing team streamlined the process as much as possible. Subsequent sculptures, however, still took between three and six months to produce by hand.
Each of the 11 physical pieces is also accompanied by a digital element: an inscription of Dürer’s Rhinoceros on the blockchain. In a statement, Asprey Studio explained that this element “serves as a modern family tree of provenance, further enriching the legacy of this innovative project.”
