Francesco de'Rossi (1510 - 1563) Phanes, the first-born

The Four Elements - Allegorical paintings by Cristofano Gherardi (1508 - 1556)

                                                        Water - The birth of Venus

                                                        Earth - The Offering of Fruits to Saturn

                                                        Fire - the Furnace of Vulcan

                                                        Air - The Mutilation of Uranus

Landscapes & Dreamscapes: Pictures from Villa di Pratolino, Italy - The Colossal 'Appenino' by Gianbologna

Kunstkammer: a cabinet of wonders painted by Domenico Remps (1620 - 1699)

"The Kunstkammer was regarded as a microcosm or theater of the world, and a memory theater. The Kunstkammer conveyed symbolically the patron's control of the world through its indoor, microscopic reproduction." (Francesca Fiorani - source: Wikipedia)

Memento Mori: Skeleton engraving by Christoffel van Sichem II (1581 - 1658)

 

Memento Mori: Two allegorical drawings by Jacopo Ligozzi (1547 - 1627)

Allegory of Envy

Death exterminating mankind

Bestiary: The Hybrid Creatures of Polifilo Giancarli or Zancarli (17th centrury Venice)