Saturnus

A muscular, bearded Saturn stands atop a stone pedestal, gripping a struggling infant and biting into its side. A large, curved scythe rests at his feet, serving as his traditional attribute. The figure is rendered with the exaggerated musculature and dense cross-hatching characteristic of the Haarlem Mannerist style.

Saturn, often conflated with Chronos (Time), represents the destructive power of time that consumes all its creations. In the Western esoteric tradition, he is associated with the planet Saturn, the metal lead in alchemy, and the melancholic temperament described by Neoplatonists like Marsilio Ficino.