Capricorn

Capricorn — the sea-goat of ancient Babylonian astronomy, governing the winter solstice — is the final entry from Jordaens's 1640 Luxembourg Palace zodiac series among this batch. The hybrid creature — goat above, fish below — had ancient mythological associations with the god Pan transformed during a battle with Typhon, and with the Roman festival of Saturnalia celebrated during its reign. In astrological tradition, Capricorn was associated with discipline, ambition, and the authority of Saturn. Jordaens's treatment of this most visually unusual zodiac creature — part terrestrial, part aquatic — gave him the opportunity to depict a mythological hybrid of the type that Flemish animal painters found particularly challenging and rewarding.

The sea-goat's hybrid form required Jordaens to render both the caprine qualities of the upper body — beard, horns, coarse hair — and the piscine qualities of the fish tail with equal zoological specificity. The composition likely centres on a figure allegory for the sign with the creature as companion or vehicle. The cool, silvery palette associated with winter and the sea differentiates Capricorn from the warmer summer signs in the series.