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Where war elephants were once used (i.redd.it)

submitted 2 weeks ago by ooli3@sopuli.xyz to c/map_enthusiasts@sopuli.xyz

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[-] inlandempire@jlai.lu 35 points 2 weeks ago

There's a city in France (Chambery) in honour of the Indian Maratha with four elephants surrounding a fountain, they only have the front sculpted so they're called "les quatre sans cul": the four without ass because the sculptor apparently didn't know their anatomy

[-] glimse@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago

Is that actually true or just an urban legend? Full elephants would make the sculpture HUGE, it'd take up so much space

[-] inlandempire@jlai.lu 3 points 2 weeks ago

It's real https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontaine_des_%C3%89l%C3%A9phants

[-] glimse@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago

Sorry, I meant the claim that the sculptor not knowing how to make the back half. I definitely believe you on the name! That wiki page isn't available in English but I translated it and only found this:

The legend[Which?] says that this square is made up of four elephants without backs since its sculptor did not know how to do the back says the "ass" of the elephants. This is what would have given the name of the 4 without asses.

I read about the construction elsewhere and only having the fronts seemed deliberate

[-] inlandempire@jlai.lu 10 points 2 weeks ago

Oh right, yeah that one is probably gossip haha

[-] glimse@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

I love a good urban legend

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

It'd be pretty easy to guess, honestly. Just saying "a lot like a cow, with legs like in the front" would cover it for sculptural purposes - the flattish tail being an excusable detail.

Medieval artists did a lot of this, although sometimes the results were less than perfect: