Hortus Deliciarum facsimile Tab.06

The upper register shows the Sun (Sol) in a celestial chariot drawn by four named horses, alongside a chariot carrying Pharaoh driven by a charioteer. The lower half features a large, ornate chariot carrying Luxury, who scatters flowers, accompanied by Amor (Cupid) shooting an arrow. A long procession of armored soldiers follows the chariot of Luxury, each representing a specific vice or sinful behavior.

This plate from Herrad of Landsberg’s 12th-century encyclopedia, 'Hortus Deliciarum', illustrates the 'Psychomachia' (the battle for the soul), a foundational concept in medieval moral philosophy. It synthesizes classical mythology (the horses of the Sun) with Christian moral allegory, reflecting the medieval effort to categorize the spiritual and physical cosmos before the Renaissance.