Elefantino

The Elefantino, nicknamed the pulcino della Minerva ('Minerva's chick') in reference to the Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva behind it, is a much-loved statue of an elephant carrying a 6th-century-BC Egyptian obelisk. Commissioned by Pope Alexander VII and completed in 1667, the puzzled-looking elephant, symbolizing strength and wisdom, was sculpted by Ercole Ferrata to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.