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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe engraving depicts Jupiter standing centrally with his eagle, surrounded by gods including Hercules and Mercury, as they petition the youthful, radiant Helios. Helios stands upon a cloud on the right, gesturing with hesitation after his son’s disastrous attempt to drive the solar chariot scorched the earth. The scene features the exaggerated muscularity and dramatic, swirling cloud work characteristic of the Haarlem Mannerist style.
This image illustrates the restoration of cosmic order and the necessity of the Sun as the central governing force of the natural world, a theme central to Neoplatonic solar theology and natural philosophy. In the Western esoteric tradition, the Sun (Helios/Apollo) often represents the visible manifestation of the Divine Intellect or the 'Sun of the Mind' described by Marsilio Ficino.
Ut Phäetontios compescuit ignibus ignes Tela trisulca vibrans Rexq[ue] Paterq[ue] Deûm . Blanda minis miscens Phœbum Titana coëgit Ut Solis solitum currus iniret iter .
Translation
As the King and Father of the gods, brandishing his three-forked bolts, Extinguished fires with the fires of Phaethon, Mixing gentle words with threats, he compelled Phoebus Titan To enter once more the sun’s accustomed path.
Ovid, Metamorphoses
The engraving illustrates the narrative from Book 2 of the Metamorphoses, detailing the aftermath of Phaeton's fall.
Marsilio Ficino, De Sole
Ficino’s Neoplatonic treatise elevates the Sun to a divine mediator and source of life, echoing the gods' urgent need for Helios to maintain the cosmic path.
Object
Engraving
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Image: http://collections.lacma.org/sites/default/files/remote_images/piction/ma-31875413-O3.jpg Gallery: http://collections.lacma.org/node/688273 archive copy at the Wayback Machine
Public domain
2100 × 1459 px
84462feee45a20f545c69c0c6e5e788990a42576
July 20, 2013
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.