Cadmus Asks the Delphic Oracle Where He Can Find his Sister, Europa

Cadmus is shown kneeling in a ruined classical temple before a statue of the god Apollo, who holds a bow and points toward the horizon. In the background, a small figure is seen following a heifer, illustrating the oracle's command that Cadmus should follow a cow to the site where he must found the city of Thebes. The engraving features the dense, rhythmic linework and dramatic musculature typical of the Dutch Mannerist style.

Based on Ovid's Metamorphoses, this scene was interpreted by Renaissance humanists as an allegory for the 'divine quest' and the pursuit of hidden wisdom through revelation. In the Western esoteric tradition, the story of Cadmus—slayer of the dragon and founder of a sacred city—served as a recurring motif for the alchemical purification of matter and the establishment of a new philosophical order.