Winter (Hyems): The Four Seasons

An elderly, bearded man wrapped in a heavy fur-lined cloak clutches a smoking pot of coals for warmth. Above him, the zodiac signs of Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces mark the winter months, while a personified wind blows frost over a distant town and a frozen river where figures are skating. The circular composition includes a Latin inscription detailing the cold and the descent of the year into its final season.

This work illustrates the Renaissance synthesis of natural philosophy and astrology, linking the macrocosmic cycle of the seasons to the microcosmic 'Four Ages of Man.' In the esoteric tradition of correspondences, Winter is tied to the element of Water, the phlegmatic temperament, and the decline of physical life before rebirth.