File:Statesof matter.jpg

Bartholomaeus Anglicus. Le proprietaire en francoys. (The Properties in French). Lyon: Mathieu Husz, l491.

The illustration from this French edition of the thirteenth-century encyclopedic work De proprietatibus rerum (The Properties of Things) shows Christ as creator standing on an orb of the world to proclaim his earthly supremacy. With his right hand, He manipulates fire while His left hand gestures toward the earth. By tradition, these two elements were the starting materials for creation. Air in the upper right circle and water in the lower left one stand ready for use between the two extremes of fire and earth. Medieval European scholars learned the theory of the elements from the works of Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who for nearly two thousand years was considered the supreme authority on all physical matters.

Public domain image.

Source: U.S. Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/world/heavens.html