Chaos: The Untangling of Chaos, or the Creation of the Elements

A muscular central figure stands within a cosmic vortex, physically pushing apart swirling clouds, light, and water to organize the universe. Above him, rays of divine light break through the gloom, while below, a dark sphere representing the nascent Earth begins to take shape. Wind-heads blow from the corners, representing the stirring of the atmosphere during the transition from disorder to cosmic harmony.

This engraving serves as the frontispiece to Goltzius's series on Ovid, reflecting the Renaissance Neoplatonic view that the universe was ordered by a divine mind (Nous) out of a 'massa confusa.' This 'Untangling of Chaos' was frequently used as a metaphor in alchemical literature to describe the initial stage of the Great Work, where the Prima Materia is purified and separated into its constituent elements.