Plate: Saturn on a Chariot

The scenes on these plates may derive from a series of woodcuts illustrating planetary gods by Gabriele Giolito de’ Ferrara (ca. 1508–1578), published in 1534, or from The Seven Planets, a series of woodcuts by Georg Pencz (ca. 1500–1550). The first plate shows Jupiter seated on a chariot drawn by peacocks. He holds a thunderbolt and a scepter, two of his attributes. The composition is set against a dark sky highlighted with gold stars and clouds. Beneath the chariot is a coat of arms that has not been identified. The rim is decorated with heads of satyrs, grotesques, scrolls, and strapwork. The reverse has two masks with arabesques in gold and strapwork in grisaille. The second plate shows Saturn seated on a chariot drawn by two dragons. He holds a sickle in his right hand and a child’s foot in his left. The coat of arms beneath the chariot has not yet been identified. The rim has four masks, scrolls, and fruit garlands. The reverse has four masks, strapwork with laurels, and fruit garlands in grisaille and arabesque motifs.