It's also called Pulcin della Minerva. It was carved by Ercole Ferrata in 1667, was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and it supports a 6th-century BC Egyptian obelisk. The monument was set up in 1667, in honor of Pope Alexander VI. The gist of the inscription is that it takes a strong mind (the elephant is symbolic of Alexander's mind) to support wisdom (the obelisk).

It stands in the centre of Piazza della Minerva in front of the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. The name Pulcin della Minerva (Minerva's Chick) was given because of the obelisk's small size. Its position in front of a church important artistically and historically and behind the famous Pantheon, as well as the fact that it stands on an unusual marble base in the form of an elephant, has made the monument well known.