Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450 - 1516)

Bosch is recognized for his grotesque, disturbingly vivid, dream-like paintings with nightmarish iconography. He earned a reputation as an iconoclast; however, some suggest he was a devout Christian.

• Grotesque: comically or repulsively ugly and distorted; a genre of art.
• Iconography: the study of meaning and symbolism behind elements and objects in art.
• Iconoclast: a person who attacks common beliefs and institutions; destroys religious images or opposes their veneration.

👉 The 1400s-1500s were times of great voyages and significant geographic discoveries. People began to realize the world was much larger, with different races, cultures, and customs. This required both physical and mental expansion, as well as a revision of boundaries and human limitations, serving as a source of inspiration.

Bosch was a Dutch (Netherlands) painter born into an affluent, cultural, and intellectual family of painters. Little is known about the source of Bosch’s remarkable imagination, as he left no notebooks or letters.

• Some speculate he hallucinated on ergotic wheat (alkaloids), others attempt to link him to the Adamites cult, while others suggest he struggled with mental illness. However, nothing indicates he was anything more than a prosperous citizen in high demand among his patrons.

👉 The Adamites: a sect that believed in returning to the state of innocence before the original sin in the Garden of Eden. They practiced nudity in their rituals as a sign of purity and rejection of sin, thus not needing clothing.

Bosch played on sin and morality in his fantastical worlds. His inspiration also came from religious manuscripts, local folklore, personal experiences - such as the fire that destroyed his hometown - and his artistic innovation, exploring complex narratives and symbolism.

• His works often depict scenes of debauchery and pleasure-seeking. Only about 25 of his paintings have survived. He certainly influenced his successors in surrealism, despite surrealism not existing in the 1400s.

Tondal’s Vision (c. 1479)

The work is inspired by a 1475 manuscript of the same name about a wealthy Irish knight’s dream journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise after passing out from intoxication at a feast.

• Purgatory – a place of temporary suffering and misery where one is redeemed/prepared for heaven.

My interpretation: I think we should begin reading the painting from the scene of the bed, positioned above the tumbled pitcher. In the manuscript, the knight enters a dream-like or hallucinatory state after becoming intoxicated, so it's safe to assume the person lying in bed represents him. The red wine pouring from the pitcher gradually turns into a river.

• Some figures are decapitated, others stabbed, and some suffocated by snakes—likely an allegory of death caused by intoxication. Alcohol is considered a sin, according to belief. Thus, sinners are punished and sent straight to Hell—the people floating down the wine river end up in the burning building.
• The man without eyeballs, with money raining from his nose onto those bathing in wine, might symbolize the wealthy turning a blind eye to the consequences of their indulgence. They temporarily redeem themselves through their wealth and status, refusing to see the repercussions of their sins. The bucket-shaped bath creates the sense of a gated, unaffected class, shielded from external misery.

👉 Common Symbols in Bosch’s Art:

Naked people – associated with debauchery and lust.

People riding bizarre creatures – irrational human desire.

Dysmorphic bodies – punishment for overindulgence.

Dysmorphic animals – possibly representing distorted or fogged consciousness.

Musical instruments – a reference to profanity in music, considered sinful.

Dice or cards – symbols of the sin of gambling.

Toads - evil incarnate

Owls - either wisdom or heresy (unorthodox opinion)

Fish - lust or a sin in general

• In the upper left, a woman seems to be guided or protected by an owl from an unseen evil above them. The owl may symbolize wisdom or a clear mind, suggesting this part of the painting represents purgatory, where salvation and redemption are still possible.
• Below, in the left corner, we see a man resting peacefully with an angel behind him—indicating that he has reached heaven or paradise.
• The scene atop the man without eyeballs seems to depict an inner conflict between righteousness—represented by the owls symbolizing common sense and clarity—and sinful indulgence, as shown by the woman with a monkey-like mind reaching for her genitals. The mysterious fish-like creature with its mouth open may symbolize a silent scream or internal debate.

The Extraction of The Stone of Madness (c. 1501)

At the time, the idea of having a "stone in one’s head" was a common metaphor for madness. Gullible people took the phrase literally, and Bosch played on this metaphor in his work, using wordplay and visual symbolism.

The scene is set in the countryside, far from the bustling town, where the nobility and likely more educated people resided.

• The figure with an upside-down funnel hat, symbolizing deception and ignorance, is a charlatan attempting to perform surgery on a man who naively wishes to rid himself of stupidity. Instead of a medical bag, the so-called surgeon carries a pitcher.
• What is being extracted resembles a flower, symbolizing sexuality. The surgeon is, in effect, castrating the trusting peasant, leading him back to Christian morality by removing his lustful desires—further reinforced by the inscription on the frame.
• The upper inscription reads, "Master, rid me of this stone," while the lower one says, "Lubbert Das." "Lubber" was an old term for a fat, clumsy fool, and "Das" refers to a badger, a nocturnal creature considered lazy. Together, it suggests "castrated badger," a clever play on words by Bosch.

👉 This work is a satire of the medical and religious practices of Bosch’s time.

• The monk holding a tankard represents the complexity of deception, signifying the church's complicity despite knowing the truth—echoed by the nun balancing a book on her head. A tankard is used for wine or beer, symbolizing how the monk may be numbing the patient’s senses, but metaphorically, it suggests that we are being kept in the dark, our minds clouded by alcohol.

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Left Panel

• The left panel focuses on the creation of Eve. The unicorn and other creatures near the pond signify purity before the original sin, while the toads and reptiles climbing out of the water symbolize the emergence of evil. The fantastical creatures in the foreground mark the transition from purity to damnation.

Central Panel

• The central panel centers around the sin of lust and contains a wealth of symbolism. The winged boy with a sphere in the background suggests fleeting happiness derived from earthly desires. The strawberries allude to worldly pleasures, which are transient in nature. The couple in the glass sphere, with its visible cracks, implies the fragility of love based on lust and infatuation. The sphere or globe in the center represents the world, while the eternal fountain, now overrun with devilish creatures, symbolizes corruption. The hybrids of animals and humans moving in circles likely allude to madness and the irrationality of human desires. Some figures being covered by various objects may indicate their wish to hide their sins. The inclusion of black figures in Bosch’s work could symbolize the unknown, as people were just beginning to encounter other races, or it may represent darkness, evil, impurity, and temptation.

Right Panel

• The right panel portrays the horrors of hell, where the condemned are tortured based on their sins. Those consumed and excreted by the giant bird on the throne are punished for greed, as one miser expels coins into a pool while another, representing gluttony, vomits into it. The woman with a toad on her chest, whose face is reflected in a mirror attached to a devil's back, symbolizes the sin of pride. The musical instruments suggest misuse and profanity. The ears pierced with a needle and cut by a knife could symbolize the deafness of the crowd toward moral laws or reference male sexuality and the sin of lust. The man crucified to an overturned table, with playing cards scattered around him, represents the sin of gambling and its severe consequences. The frozen river and sledge may symbolize futile effort or stagnation. The face peeking from beneath the head is believed to be Bosch's own, while the hollow tree-man, possibly featuring Bosch's face, alludes to alchemy, with the colors red, black, and white representing stages of boiling mercury.

👉 Alchemy, in the Medieval Ages, was primarily about the transformation of matter - metals -, experimental practices, cooking up potions and an elixir of life, discovering a Philosopher’s stone as a symbol of ultimate knowledge.

Last Judgement

• The left panel depicts the familiar scenes of the creation of Eve, the original sin, the expulsion of Adam and Eve, and the fallen angels transforming into insects, progressing from bottom to top.
• The central panel portrays The Last Judgement, the day when God decides the fate of humanity, determining who goes to Hell and who to Heaven. Surrounding Him are the chosen few, the Virgin Mary, and St. John the Baptist. Beneath the spherical structure lies Hell, where sinners face creative tortures. The central sins addressed are gluttony and lust.
• The right panel continues the theme of punishment for overindulgence, where demonic creatures roast the damned and drag them into a circus-like tent, possibly symbolizing the folly, irrationality, and absurdity of human sin.

Adoration of the Magi

• The Magi refers to a group of distinguished individuals, including wise men and kings, who visit Jesus after His birth.

The triptych features a male and female saint alongside a male and female donor on the side panels.

• A donor is someone who commissioned or paid for a work of art.

The central panel depicts a modest hut where the Virgin Mary holds Jesus, and one of the Magi kneels before her, with his crown on the ground, symbolizing the insignificance of earthly kingship in the presence of the divine. In the background, a battle unfolds, likely representing the struggle between good and evil.

The Seven Deadly Sins & The Four Last Things (c. 1500)

The circular panel represents the seven deadly sins through everyday scenes, arranged clockwise, rather than using allegory. There is debate over whether Bosch truly authored this piece, despite it being signed by him.

• Wrath: Two peasants are depicted fighting, representing anger, chaos, and mindlessness.
• Envy: Peasants glance at a well-dressed man showing off a falcon, while their daughter is distracted by a man with a belt bag, likely filled with coins. Two dogs fight over a bone for contrast.
• Greed: A man of higher rank receives bribes from a peasant, while two others in the background discuss documents like a will, reflecting the desire for possession.
• Gluttony: A drunkard and a man overindulging in food ignore their family’s needs.
• Sloth: A man reclines comfortably, indifferent to the nun who is signaling prayer time.
• Lust: Men and women flirt with each other, while a jester entertains, suggesting indulgence.
• Pride: A woman gazes into a mirror held by the devil hiding behind the closet.

The smaller panels around the circle depict the "Four Last Things":

• Death: Death is about to strike with an arrow, and the angel is victorious, as the devil turns away. Women in the background may be grieving or eager to count the inheritance.
• The Last Judgement: The dead rise from their tombs as God prepares to pass final judgment.
• Hell: Characteristic of Bosch’s work, this scene shows sinners receiving their deserved punishment, with toads and flames in the background.
• Heaven: The redeemed enter through Heaven’s gates, but a woman, possibly representing Eve, is grabbed by a half-human, half-toad creature, raising questions about her purity.

The Haywain Triptych

The Hay Wain triptych centers on the theme of human greed, based on the Flemish proverb "The world is a heap of hay, everyone grabs some while they may." It illustrates the extent to which humans will go to satisfy their desires.

Left Panel

• The left panel shows four distinct scenes:
  • The fallen angels turning into insects as a punishment from God.
  • The creation of Eve.
  • The original sin, highlighting the temptation of the senses and its grave consequences.
  • The expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.

Central Panel

• The middle panel is a satirical allegory illustrating humanity's descent into damnation.
  • At the top of the hay wain, two peasants hide in bushes, symbolizing lust, while a demonic figure plays sinful music.
  • The hay wain, a symbol of human frailty and the worthlessness of worldly gains, is dragged toward Hell by grotesque creatures.
  • People below behave irrationally in their desperate attempts to reach the hay, showcasing extreme greed. A man cutting another's throat demonstrates the lengths people will go to fulfill their desires.
  • On the left side, popes and kings symbolize that even the powerful and wealthy are not immune to corruption and are also being led toward Hell by their greed.

Right Panel

• The right panel depicts Hell. The burning buildings and flames are likely inspired by a childhood event from Bosch's hometown. Every creature is deformed and grotesque, representing the twisted nature of eternal damnation. Devils are constructing a tower, presumably to house the eternally tormented souls.