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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original filePersonificatie van de Lente met de sterrenbeelden van het seizoen en de menselijke bezigheden in het seizoen. NL-HlmNHA 1477 53010763
after Hendrick Goltzius
A central female figure crowned with flowers and holding a woven basket strides through a pastoral landscape. Above her appear the three zodiac signs representing the spring months, while a wind-spirit blows gentle rain from the clouds. In the background, people are shown gardening, walking, and socializing in the revitalized nature of the season.
This work reflects the Renaissance worldview of the correspondence between celestial movements and terrestrial life, specifically the astrological governance of the seasons. It illustrates how the macrocosmic order of the zodiac was believed to dictate the microcosmic rhythms of human activity and natural growth.
F. Estius. Ver Vero reflorescens vestitur frondibus arbor, Vestitur tellus versicolore coma. Concentuq. auium, resonat nemus omne, Ariesq. Mitior aurato vellere tingit humum. HGoltzius Inuent. et Visscher excud. 1589. Iacobus Mathamius. Goltzij priuignus. sculp. 1.
Translation
F. Estius. Spring Truly the tree is reclad with verdant leaves, The earth is clad with multicolored hair. And with the concert of birds, the whole grove resounds, and the Ram Gentler, dyes the ground with its golden fleece. HGoltzius Inventor and Visscher publisher, 1589. Jacob Matham. Stepson of Goltzius. sculpted. 1.
Ovid
The imagery of seasonal personifications and their attributes draws heavily from the mythological descriptions in Ovid's Fasti and Metamorphoses.
Cornelius Agrippa
Reflects the doctrine of celestial influences and seasonal correspondences described in De Occulta Philosophia.
Object
Noord-Hollands Archief, Haarlem
Engraving
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://hdl.handle.net/21.12102/e02ffc71-0dc8-6c06-a7c1-007f8d15eeda
Public domain
2697 × 2736 px
28570fc70adaa33e00867061274486a39f12eceb
April 20, 2019
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.