A menagerie of exotic animals was established at the Tower of London about 1235. The first elephant to be housed there, an African elephant, was a gift from Louis IX of France in 1255. The elephant the Mozarts saw at Buckingham House was probably an Indian elephant, at least six of which were given to Queen Charlotte during her reign.
African elephant from the Chronica Maiora (after 1255), based on the elephant at the Tower of London menagerie (University of Cambridge)
- Recipient
- Mozart, Maria Anna ('Nannerl') (1751-1829)
- Date (Mozart)
- 1764-1765
- Location (Mozart)
- London
- Bibliographic Reference
- Caroline Grigson, ‘The surprising history of Britain’s elephants’ (https://blog.oup.com/2016/02/elephants-in-britain-history/)