2-999-671 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Allegory of the Element Earth, c1580. In the 16th century, the world was believed to consist of four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Here, Earth (associated with the season of autumn) is symbolized by the abundance of nature's produce and by the small figure of Cybele, the ancient mother-goddess of earth and fertility, who rides across the sky in a chariot pulled by two lions.