Apollo presiding over the arts of government

Apollo is shown as a classical statue holding a bow and arrow, positioned beneath a radiant sun and the zodiacal sign of Leo. Around the pedestal, kings in ermine-trimmed robes and a seated ruler holding a sword and globe look toward the deity as the source of their power. In the foreground, a chained monkey sits on a carpet, a traditional symbol for the base imitation of higher divine order by human society.

This print belongs to a series on the Seven Planets and illustrates the Renaissance belief in political astrology, where earthly rulers are the 'children' of the Sun. It visually manifests Neoplatonic ideas, such as those in Marsilio Ficino's 'De Sole,' which posited the sun as the physical and spiritual center of the cosmos and the archetype for terrestrial kingship.