The Third Day ( Dies III), from the series The Creation of the World

A divine winged figure hovers amidst turbulent clouds, overseeing the emergence of the physical world. Below him, a muscular male figure crowned with foliage represents the dry land, while a reclining female figure represents the gathering of the waters. The scene captures the moment of elemental distinction as the earth begins to bring forth vegetation.

This work represents the transition from primeval chaos to ordered nature, a central theme in both biblical Genesis and Hermetic cosmogony. The use of mythological personifications to illustrate a biblical event demonstrates the late Renaissance synthesis of Christian theology and classical natural philosophy regarding the elements.