The Seven Planets: The Sun, Apollo
Etienne Delaune French
Not on view
Engraving, part of a set of seven oval engravings illustrating the seven planets, created by Etienne Delaune in 1575. Each print contains an allegorical representation of one of the seven planets, made up of the god that presides each planet, sitting on clouds and endowed with their traditional attributes, with one or two astrological signs representing the planet being, and the corresponding symbols for each planet, which are also chemical symbols.
In this engraving, the Sun is represented by Apollo, wearing a laurel crown and with a halo above his head, carrying his attributes in his hands: a bow and quiver of arrows, a lyre, and a raven. A lion, representing Leo, the astrological house of the sun, appears in the background, to the right, under its symbol: Ω. On the upper left, next to Apollo's head, is the symbol of the Sun and of gold, consisting of a dot inside a circle.