First Day of Creation: Separation of Light and Darkness

An angel in the upper center uses a wand to divide two human figures representing light and shadow within a circular frame. On the left, a luminous, muscular male figure emerges with open arms, while on the right, a female figure representing darkness retreats while holding a dark cloak speckled with stars.

This scene represents the initial act of cosmic order, a theme central to Neoplatonism and the Hermetic Pymander, where the Divine Mind separates light from the darkness of the abyss. It reflects late 16th-century attempts to visualize the origins of the material world and the emergence of form from chaos.