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Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileA central female figure, likely representing Nature, sits on a pedestal with a lion at her feet while a satyr gestures toward a radiant Sun with a human face. In the background, Egyptian-style obelisks rise behind a classical wall, and the entire scene is enclosed in an elaborate Mannerist frame. The border is decorated with nursing mothers, fruit garlands, and small mythological figures that reinforce themes of fertility and growth.
This work illustrates the Neoplatonic and Stoic concept of 'semina' or innate seeds within the soul that determine an individual's character and destiny. It visualizes the tension between the solar intellect and the animalistic passions, a central concern of Renaissance moral philosophy and natural magic.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino’s writings, particularly 'De vita libri tres', explore the relationship between the 'seeds' of the soul and the influence of the celestial sun.
Hendrik Goltzius
Saenredam frequently engraved designs by Goltzius, who was a central figure in the dissemination of complex Hermetic and Neoplatonic allegories in Haarlem.
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Engraving
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC0
http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.337739
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
4730 × 6758 px
69fd1f2281932a68ebe5172a3e535f0e114c8820
December 3, 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.