This elephant from 1652 has a kind of tower or pagoda on its back, which indicates that it is a tame elephant.
This animal was mainly fed by bakers, as it was seen as the representative of the East, where the spices used in the so-called gingerbread came from.
At the time of its construction, the building was not inhabited by a baker. In 1638, the premises were owned by the magistrate Hendrick van Buel, who leased them to the wine merchant Jacob Massing. In 1656, an agreement was signed in this building between Massing and the gentillehomme (master glassblower) Christophe delle Peche and two investors to establish a "Glaserije" in Smeermaas. The starting capital of the four partners was kept in a suitcase in the "Oliphant".
Later, the property came into the possession of the Bauduin family. They were originally from Elsloo and were bargmen. Due to the increasingly frequent closures of the Meuse traffic and the general lack of safety outside the city, they settled in this up market building . The Bauduins of the 19th century come from this family: mayor, "super-manager" of all municipal companies, dean and vicar in the diocese of Roermond and vermicelli manufacturer(s).
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