Elephant and Obelisk (Pulcino della Minerva)

On the small piazza in front of the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva stands a marble elephant with an Egyptian obelisk on its back. It looks just as bizarre as it sounds, and that is the whole point. The obelisk was found in the monastery vegetable garden right by this very church. The monks, naturally, wanted the find placed in their piazza rather than taken away. Pope Alexander VII commissioned Bernini to design the pedestal, and Bernini came up with the elephant. Judging by all accounts, the 1667 work was carved not by Bernini himself, but by Ercole Ferrata based on his model. The elephant was chosen not just for looks. In the 17th century, the Church considered it a symbol of strength, intellect, and marital virtue, based on the belief that elephants choose one partner for life. Meanwhile, the obelisk signified wisdom. It made for a neat emblem: strength carries wisdom. But the most interesting thing is what ruins the composition. Take a closer look: under the elephant's belly sits a stone cube, partially covered by a draped saddlecloth. According to the design, it should not be there; the elephant was supposed to stand on four legs, with daylight shining through between them. The cube appeared at the insistence of a Dominican friar who was hostile to Bernini and claimed the sculpture would collapse without a support. Bernini knew it would not collapse. The proof stands ten minutes away at the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, where a massive obelisk is held up by empty space, on a rock with openings pierced all the way through. Romans love the elephant and call it Pulcino della Minerva, meaning the Minerva chick. Practical info: Piazza della Minerva, behind the Pantheon, two hundred meters away. Outdoors, free of charge, at any time. It is worth coming twice: during the day to examine the saddlecloth and coat of arms, and in the evening to see the silhouette. The little elephant is included in our morning route - Pantheon, little elephant, Navona.