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Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileTweede scheppingsdag scheiding tussen de wateren Dies II (titel op object) Schepping van de wereld (serietitel)
after Hendrick Goltzius
A divine winged figure descends from a radiant sky, wielding a rod to divide the primordial elements within a circular frame. On the left, a muscular river god pours water from a heavy urn to represent the terrestrial seas, while on the right, a female figure sits among clouds and a rainbow, holding a perforated vessel that releases the celestial waters of the firmament.
This print visualizes the cosmogony of Genesis, an event central to both orthodox theology and the Western esoteric tradition's understanding of the Prima Materia. The division of the 'waters' relates to the Hermetic principle of the separation of elements and the fundamental structure of the macrocosm as described in Neoplatonic commentaries.
Dies. II. HG. excud.
Translation
Day 2. HG. engraved this.
Genesis 1:6-8
The primary biblical source describing the creation of the firmament to divide the waters.
The Emerald Tablet
The separation of the waters 'above' from the waters 'below' is a physical manifestation of the Hermetic doctrine of correspondence.
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Engraving
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC0
http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.344659
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
4644 × 4458 px
a738be422e3904d0692d38bdb83d9ec64aeac472
December 8, 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.