Many of the medieval European illustrators who created illustrations of elephants -- either as decorative elements or as illustrations in breviaries -- did so without ever having seen one in person. Perhaps to some of these illustrators, the idea of an elephant was just as "real" as a unicorn or a dragon, and so the elephant was drawn either from reading a description or copied from yet another illustrator.

Elephants were, of course, the primary source of the ivory that was used to create many decorative items, especially in the later Middle Ages, such as mirrors, combs, handles for knives and forks, paternoster beads, chess pieces, writing tablets, and boxes. Oliphants were also carved from elephant ivory.

See also Avorio d'ogni ragione: the supply of elephant ivory to northern Europe in the Gothic era in Journal of Medieval History, vol. 36, no. 2, as well as The Medieval Bestiary: Elephant and The Elephant in Medieval Legend and Art.

• Noah's Ark, commentary on the Apocalypse (PML M.644, fol. 79v), c. 940-945
• Elephant tusks, De materia medica (PML M.652, fol. 214r), mid-10th century
• Fols. 10r, 10v, and 11r of the Aberdeen Bestiary (Aberdeen University Library, Univ Lib. MS 24), 12th century
• Fresco with an elephant, 12th century
• Mother elephant delivers baby in safety of lake while father attacks dragon, bestiary (Laud Misc. 247, fol. 163v), 2nd quarter of the 12th century
• An elephant and castle, with a description of King Pyrrhus's battle elephants (British Library Burney 216, fol. 33), 2nd or 3rd quarter of the 12th century
• Elephant, Marvels of the East (Bodl. 614, fol. 39v), mid-12th century
• Illustration of an elephant in a bestiary illustrating the pharmocopeial properties of animals (British Library Harley 1585, fol. 67v), 3rd quarter of the 12th century
• Elephant in a medical and herbal collection (British Library Sloane 1975, fol. 81v), last quarter of the 12th century
• An elephant carrying soldiers (fol. 23r) and a dragon bites an elephant on the back (fol. 78r), the Worksop bestiary (PML M.81), c. 1185
• A war elephant, Bible (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 10, fol. 127v), c. 1185-1195
• Elephant and castle, the Ashmole Bestiary (Ashmole 1511, fol. 15v), beginning of the 13th century
• Elephants defend their young from a dragon, Reiner Musterbuch (ÖNB 507, fol. 3v), c. 1200-1220
• An elephant with a dragon on its back in a bestiary (Brit. Lib. Royal 12 C XIX, fol. 62), 1st quarter of the 13th century
• An elephant with armed soldiers in a wooden tower on its back (fol. 8) and a dragon attacks an elephant (fol. 58v), a bestiary (British Library Harley 4751, 2nd quarter of the 13th century
• Elephant carrying towers of warriors fighting soldiers on foot, bestiary (Bodl. 764, fol. 12r), 2nd quarter of the 12th century
• Knights in a castle atop an elephant repel mounted assailants, and the raising of a fallen elephant (fol. 11v) and an elephant and her calf in a stream full of fish (fol. 13v), the Rochester Bestiary (Brit. Lib. Royal 12 F XIII), 2nd quarter of the 13th century
• Elephants on fols. 151v and ivr of Matthew Paris' Chronica Maiora (Corpus Christi 16), c. 1235-1259
• Men mounted on an elephant (fol. 39r) and an elephant and a dragon (fol. 39v) in a theological miscellany (Brit. Lib. Harley 3244), c. 1236-1275
• An elephant (Getty 100, fol. 17v), c. 1250-1260
• Marginal illustration of an elephant in a bible (PML M.969, fol. 419v), last quarter of the 13th century
• An elephant carrying three soldiers (Ludwig XV 4, fol. 104), after 1277
• Miniature of an elephant, to illustrate spodium, or white calcined elephant ivory, from an herbal (British Library Egerton 747, fol. 91), c. 1280-1310
• Dragon, mouth open, extends tongue toward elephant standing above elephant in water with offspring (fol. 21r) and a man stabs an elephant with a spear (fol. 26r), Bestiaire d'amour (PML M.459), c. 1290
• Elephant and castle, bestiary (e Mus. 136, fol. 19v), end of the 13th century
• An elephant and castle, bestiary (Douce 88, fol. 87v), c. 1300
• An elephant with a howdah and armed warriors, bestiary (Douce 151, fol. 11v), c. 1300
• Initial-word panel on the Duke of Sussex's German Pentateuch (British Library Additional 15282, fol. 238), 1st quarter of the 14th century
• An elephant Li livres dou trésor (PML M.814, fol. 74v), c. 1300-1325
• An elephant in the Euphrates, Bestiaire d'Amour (Douce 308, fol. 105r), 1st quarter of the 14th century
• An elephant carries soldiers, the Smithfield Decretals (Brit. Lib. Royal 10 E IV, fol. 43v), c. 1300-1340
• A unicorn and an elephant (fol. 100v), an elephant with her foal, having just given birth in water to avoid the dragon, flying above (fol. 118v), A soldier leading an elephant and castle with three soldiers inside (fol. 119r), the Queen Mary Psalter (British Library Royal 2 B VII), c. 1310-1320
• Drawing of a dragon and an elephant in a miscellany (British Library Harley 273, fol. 80), c. 1314-1328
• God creating the animals (fol. 18r) and a unicorn with lions and an elephant (fol. 188r) in the Taymouth Hours (Brit. Lib. Yates Thompson 13), 2nd quarter of the 14th century
• An elephant carrying soldiers (fol. 2r) and an elephant with her foal (fol. 2v), the Fountains Abbey bestiary (PML M.890), c. 1325-1350
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (British Library Harley 4996, fol. 25v), 2nd or 3rd quarter of the 14th century
• Fortitude holds a mace and a shield with an elephant, the Regia Carmina (Brit. Lib. Royal 6 E IX, fol. 21v), c. 1335-1340
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (ÖNB 2612, fol. 27r), c. 1330-1340
• Alexander with elephant and castle confront Porus, Romance of Alexander (Bodl. 264, fol. 58), c. 1338-1344
• Alexander encounters an elephant, La vraie ystoire dou bon roi Alixandre (British Library Royal 19 D I, fol. 29), c. 1340
• Fols. 22v, 25v, 39v, 55v, 79v, 82v, 83v, 89v, 111v, 167v, 176v, 182v, and 238v, Concordantiae caritatis (Lilienfeld 151), c. 1349-1351
• Elephant and castle (fol. 248v) and elephant (fol. 249), Le livre des proprietes des choses (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 1029), c. 1350
• An elephant, Compendium Salernitanum (PML M.873, fol. 80r), c. 1350-1375
• An elephant carries people on its back, Speculum humanae salvationis (British Library Arundel 120, fol. 28), 2nd half of the 14th century
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (British Library Sloane 361, fol. 27), 2nd half of the 14th century
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (BNF Arsenal 593, fol. 18v), second half of the 14th century
• The Maccabees battle against Lysias, Weltchronik (PML M.769, fol. 259r), c. 1360
• The battle of Zama, Roman history (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 777, fol. 309v), c. 1370
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (BNF Latin 511, fol. 25r), c. 1370-1380
• An elephant in a fresco at Schenna, c. 1380-1400
• Creation in the Visconti Hours (Landau Finaly 22, fol. 46v), c. 1390
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (British Library Harley 3240, fol. 28), last quarter of the 14th century
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (PML M.140, fol. 27v), late 14th century
• A domesticated elephant, the Pontifical of Guillaume Durand (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 143, fol. 174v), before 1390
• Battle against Porus, Histoire universelle depuis la Création jusqu'a César (PML M.516, fol. 163v), c. 1390-1400
Þe olyphaunt vsiþ a strong nose and long in stede of hondes, and wiþ þat nose he takeþ mete and puttiþ it in his mouþ, and no beest may do þat with his nose but þe eliphant allone.

John Trevisa, Bartholomaeus's De Proprietatibus Rerum

• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (PML M.766, fol. 46r), c. 1400
• Khubilai Khan prepares for battle, Li Livres du Graunt Caam (Bodl. 264, pt. III, fol. 236r), c. 1400
• God rested on the seventh day, Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 9, fol. 7v), beginning of the 15th century
• A dog fighting against a lion and an elephant, Le Livre et le vraye hystoire du bon roy Alixandre (British Library Royal 20 B XX, fol. 41v), c. 1420
• An elephant in the Hours of Charlotte of Savoy (PML M.1004, fol. 121v), c. 1420-1425
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (BNE B. 19, fol. 24r), c. 1420-1440
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (Douce 204, fol. 24v), c. 1430-1450
• An elephant in an herbal (British Library Sloane 4016, fol. 50), c. 1440
• Fortitude, seated on two elephants by Matteo de' Pasti, c. 1449-1455
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (PML M.385, fol. 27r), mid-15th century
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (BNF Fr. 188, fol. 29), mid-15th century
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (BNF Latin 412, fol. 26r), 15th century
• Elephant, Livre des simples médecines (BNF Fr. 1312, fol. 27v), mid-15th century
• Elephant, Livre des simples médecines (BNF Fr. 623, fol. 165v), 2nd half of the 15th century
• Africa (fol. 4r) and India (fol. 41v), Livre des merveilles du monde (PML M.461), c. 1460
• An elephant in a roundel, Ab urbe condita (British Library Harley 3694, fol. 2), c. 1470-1480
• The Battle of the Hydaspes River on fols. 168v and 171, Historiae Alexandri Magni (BNF Fr. 257), c. 1470-1480
• Drawing of an elephant (Canon. Misc. 280, fol. 69a recto), 1474
• The death of Eleazar in the wall-paintings at the Church of St. Nicholas at Cleran, c. 1475-1485
• An elephant with a castle strapped to its back, Der Renner (PML M.763, fol. 226r), last quarter of the 15th century
• Fauna: the animals, De proprietatibus rerum (BNF Fr. 218, fol. 325), 4th quarter of the 15th century
• The death of Eleazar, Compilatio historiarum (PML M.158, fol. 39r), c. 1476
• Elephant, Pliny's Natural History (Arch. G b.6, fol. 93v), 1476
• The death of Marcus Livius Drusus, Cas des nobles hommes et femmes malheureux (PML G.35, fol. 205r), c. 1480
• Elephant, Livre des simples médecines (BNF Fr. 1307, fol. 221v), c. 1480
• The death of Eleazar in the wall-paintings at the cloister at Brixen, 1482
• The Triumph of Caesar: The Elephants, c. 1484-1492
• The Elephant by Martin Schongauer, c. 1485; see Cleveland 1927.199 or Met 1986.1241.2
• Romuleon (BNF Fr. 364), c. 1485-1490, fols. 105v, 117v, 123, 125r, 183
• The death of Eleazar, Speculum humanae salvationis (British Library Harley 2838, fol. 27), c. 1485-1509
• Drawing of an elephant, De caelo, De anima (British Library Sloane 748, fol. 131), 1487
• The Triumph of Caesar: The Elephants, attributed to Giovanni Antonio da Brescia
• A drawing of an elephant, Fasciculus temporum (PML M.801, fol. 114v), c. 1498
• An Ethiopian white elephant (Lat. misc. d. 85, fol. 72v), end of the 15th century
• The Triumph of Renown, Petrarch's Trionfi (BNF Fr. 223, fol. 160v), 15th-16th century
• Battle of the Hydaspes River (fol. 11) and peace between Meleager and Perdiccas (fol. 40), Historiae Alexandri Magni, 15th-16th century
• Left wing of the Triptych of the Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1500
• A man in a castle on an elephant (fol. 136r) and the battle against Antiochus (fol. 136v), a book of hours (PML H.5), c. 1500
• The heraldry of Le Fortune de l'Ile, Noms, armes et blasons des chevaliers de la Table Ronde (PML M.16, fol. 65v), c. 1500
• A bronze elephant with a raised trunk made in Germany in the 16th century
• The Triumph of Renown (fol. 179) and The Victory of Time (fol. 348v), Petrarch's Trionfi (BNF Fr. 594), 1503
• An elephant, the Tudor Pattern Book (Ashmole 1504, fol. 34r), c. 1520-1530
• An elephant with a salt receptacle made of rock crystal by Francisco López in 1550
• Elephant, De animalium proprietate (Auct. F. 4. 15, fol. 27r), 1564
• Detail from The Garden of Eden or Love by Guillielmus Paludanus, 1567
• Sketch for the trappings of an elephant for a tournament by Jacopo Strada, 1571
• An elephant fighting two beasts by Nicolaes de Bruyn, 1594