De middag

In the foreground, a man uses a large hand-saw on a wooden plank while another worker uses a plane at a workbench, illustrating manual labor during the peak of the day. Beside them, a woman in fine dress plays a musical instrument, representing the refinement of the arts alongside physical industry. In the upper right sky, the deity Apollo is visible driving his horse-drawn chariot through the clouds, marking the solar noon.

This allegory connects the macrocosmic cycle of the sun to the microcosmic activities of human life, a central theme in Neoplatonic and natural philosophical thought. Midday represents the height of the solar influence, traditionally associated with the element of Fire and the Choleric temperament, which governs heat, action, and industry.