The Triumph of Time

Philip Galle after Pieter Bruegel the Elder

National Gallery of Art

This print shows several people and animals in a complex landscape. In the center, a man in a tunic is seated on an hourglass on top of a chariot, looking over his shoulder to the left. In one hand he holds a child up to his mouth, and in the other he holds a thin hoop made of a snake eating its own tail. He has a boot on one foot, while the other is bare. He is surrounded by a circle containing the twelve symbols of the zodiac, some hanging from a tree that grows out of the circle. On the left, there is an angelic figure blowing a horn atop an elephant, and a skeleton with a scythe rides a donkey nearby. On the right, two horses drag the chariot, one with the shape of the sun on its back and the other with a crescent moon. The background includes a detailed landscape with thin trees, hills, a body of water, and buildings, including a church steeple and windmills. The ground beneath the procession is littered with objects such as pieces of armor, tools, instruments, books, chests, and clothes. Below the print are several lines of text.