Gold Rhino

Original Gold Grave (M1 A620), Mapungubwe Hill

AD 1250 - AD 1290

37.4g, 145.26mm x 55.06mm

MAP/G/001

Mapungubwe National Heritage Collection

Reconstructed by the British Museum, 1999

The gold rhinoceros figurine is made of several pieces of thin gold foil, which was originally nailed onto a wooden carving. The shape was achieved by pressing gold foil over the wooden figurine and holding it in place with tiny gold nails. The wooden core has since decayed. The hollow, inner surface has a matt texture, which suggests that the gold was hammered out on a stone anvil, but is pale in comparison to the shiny exterior burnished gold surface. The body is made from a single folded sheet of gold that has been shaped by creasing and slight

hammering or repoussé. The head with a square muzzle is made of separate gold foil, as is the short horn, which is conically folded and shows a multitude of nail perforations.

The shoulders with a prominent hump and stumpy short legs are clearly defined, as is the torso and sloping rump. The torso is centrally bulged to indicate a round belly and the broad feet are flared outward. The tail on the lower rump is positioned upright and hammered from a solid gold nugget. The tail is also decorated with incisions by a sharp tool to indicate a tuft on the tip. Two small, fluted ears are made from slightly thicker foil and were shaped separately. They are tacked to the head with two gold nails, while the eyes are formed by two solid capped gold nails. The gold rhino is a specifically declared heritage object.