The definitive Renaissance image of an armored rhino is Albrecht Dürer's 1515 woodcut, known as "Rhinocerus". This image was widely circulated and shaped European perceptions of the animal for centuries, frequently copied by other artists of the same era.

The rhinoceros represents a potent mixture of brute strength, short-sighted passion, and material-oriented focus. It is often linked to the elements of water and earth, embodying a stubborn, unrefined power. It is frequently grouped with armored or rare animals in symbolic, artistic contexts.

In China, the rhinoceros's horn is valued and believed to be the source of virility, hence the rhinos in Africa were hunted for decades. In the painting the armored creature symbolizes the powerful war machine under attack moving forward despite the “shrub like” explosions.