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Each element is represented here by a pagan deity, bearing appropriate attributes, whilst the biblical story of Creation takes place in the background. Water is represented by a nymph with fish, Earth carries a cornucopia, Air is in the sky with birds and flying cupids, and Fire is alluded to by the smoking mountain. According to Aristotelian science, the four elements were the basic components of the material world, each of which corresponded to one of the humours of the human body and temperament. This type of depiction showing all four elements in a unified scene later evolved to sets of four separate works. Many versions of sets of allegorical depictions of the four elements came out of the Brueghels' Antwerp studio in the early seventeenth century.
Title
The Four Elements
Date
c.1621–1632
Medium
oil on copper
Measurements
H 71 x W 89 cm
Accession number
732304
Acquisition method
gift from Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare along with the estate, house and its contents, 1946
Work type
Painting
