Triptych of Garden of Earthly Delights #2

by Hieronymus Bosch

Title

Triptych of Garden of Earthly Delights #2

Artist

Hieronymus Bosch

Medium

Painting - Oil On Panel

Description

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9

This painting is one of the most enigmatic pictures ever made, it has captivated and puzzled audiences since its inception. It is a large triptych, yet it was never destined for a religious setting. It is a conversation piece that is it is a picture intended to be closely viewed and its meaning discussed among friends or visitors. It can be read on many levels, from the literal to the allegorical.
The right wing is hell, and it finds its counterparts in other Bosch pictures. Divided into three tiers, hell includes a blasted landscape exploding in flames and smoke. A windmill is powered by sails of infernal light.. Great crowds march endlessly. In the middle, some figures skate on thin ice. A bizarre tree-man dominates. His shell-like torso forms a tavern, while couples, each comprised of one human and one demon, dance on his head to a bagpipe's melody. He looks furtively rather than directly at the viewer. The foreground is cluttered with punishments for the seven deadly sins. The prideful woman will spend eternity staring at her reflection mirrored in the backside of a devil, whose hand-like roots fondle her body. Gluttons are consumed, while a miser excretes gold coins into a cesspool. The hunters are now hunted, as indicated by the rabbit with his quarry, in this world upside down. An amorous sow, wearing the headdress of a Dominican nun, attempts to seduce the man at the lower right into signing the legal document.

Uploaded

April 1st, 2021

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