The first rhinoceros to arrive on European soil since the 3rd century AD caused a sensation.  It was immortalised in Albrecht Dürer’s famous woodcut of 1515.  Although the German artist never saw the animal, his woodcut became one of the most influential images in Western art.  Probably no other depiction of an animal has exerted such a profound influence on the arts – despite its inaccuracies, Dürer’s extraordinary image of the rhinoceros has endured.  This talk considers Dürer’s rhinoceros in context, and the long reception of this iconic image.