15 little-known facts about the most mysterious triptych of Hieronymus Bosch

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The canvases of the Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch are recognizable for their fantastic subjects and delicate details. One of the artist's most famous and ambitious works is the “Garden of Earthly Delights” triptych, which has been controversial among art lovers around the world for over 500 years.

1. The triptych is named after its central panel

In three parts of one painting, Bosch tried to depict the entire human experience - from earthly life to the afterlife. The left panel of the triptych displays heaven, the right one - hell. In the center is the garden of earthly delights.

2. The date of creation of the triptych is unknown

Bosch never dated his works, which complicates the work of art historians. Some claim that Bosch began painting The Garden of Earthly Delights in 1490, when he was about 40 years old (his exact year of birth is also unknown, but it is assumed that the Dutchman was born in 1450). And the grandiose work was completed between 1510 and 1515.

3. "Paradise"

Art critics claim that the Garden of Eden is depicted at the time of Eve's creation. In the picture, it looks like an untouched land, inhabited by mysterious creatures, among which you can even see unicorns.

4. Hidden meaning

Some art historians believe that the middle panel depicts people who have gone mad for their sins, who are missing out on their chance to find eternity in heaven. Lust Bosch portrayed many naked figures engaged in frivolous pursuits. Flowers and fruits are believed to symbolize the temporary pleasures of the flesh. Some have even suggested that the glass dome, which embraces several lovers, symbolizes the Flemish proverb "Happiness is like glass - it breaks one day."

5. Garden of earthly delights = paradise lost?

A fairly popular interpretation of the triptych is that it is not a warning, but a statement of fact: a person has lost the right path. According to this decoding, the images on the panels should be viewed sequentially from left to right, and not to consider the central panel as a fork between hell and heaven.

6. Secrets of the painting

The side panels of the heaven and hell triptych can be folded to cover the center panel. The outer side of the side panels depicts the last part of the "Garden of Earthly Delights" - the image of the World on the third day after creation, when the Earth is already covered with plants, but there are still no animals or humans.

Since this image is essentially an introduction to what is depicted on the interior panel, it is done in a monochrome style known as grisaille (this was a common sight in triptychs of that era, and was intended not to distract attention from the colors of the interior opening).

7. The Garden of Earthly Delights is one of three similar triptychs created by Bosch

Bosch's two thematic triptychs similar to The Garden of Earthly Delights are The Last Judgment and The Hay Carrier. Each of them can be viewed in chronological order from left to right: the biblical creation of man in the Garden of Eden, modern life and its disorder, terrible consequences in hell.

8. In one of the parts of the picture, Bosch's devotion to the family is demonstrated

There are very few reliable facts about the life of the Dutch artist of the early Renaissance, but it is known that his father and grandfather were also artists. Bosch's father Antonius van Aken was also an advisor to the Illustrious Brotherhood of the Most Holy Theotokos, a group of Christians who worshiped the Virgin Mary. Shortly before starting work on The Garden of Earthly Delights, Bosch followed his father's example and also joined the fraternity.

9 although the triptych has a religious theme, it was not painted for the church

Although the artist's work was clearly religious, it was too bizarre to be exhibited in a religious institution. It is much more likely that the work was created for a wealthy patron, possibly a member of the Glorified Brotherhood of the Most Holy Theotokos.

10. Perhaps the painting was very popular at the time

The "Garden of Earthly Delights" was first mentioned in history in 1517, when the Italian chronicler Antonio de Beatis noted this unusual painting in the Brussels palace of the Nassau house.

11. The word of God is shown in the picture with two hands

The first scene is shown in paradise, where God, raised his right hand, leads Eve to Adam. In the Hell panel there is exactly such a gesture, but the hand points the dying players to the hell below.

12. The colors of the painting also have a hidden meaning

The color pink symbolizes divinity and the source of life. Blue refers to the Earth, as well as earthly pleasures (for example, people eat blue berries from blue dishes and frolic in blue ponds). Red represents passion. Brown represents the mind. And finally, green, which is ubiquitous in "Paradise", is almost completely absent in "Hell" - it symbolizes kindness.

13. The triptych is much bigger than everyone thinks

The triptych "Garden of Earthly Delights" is actually just huge. Its central panel measures about 2.20 x 1.89 meters, and each side panel measures 2.20 x 1 meters. When unfolded, the width of the triptych is 3.89 meters.

14. Bosch took a hidden self-portrait in the painting

This is just speculation, but art critic Hans Belting has suggested that Bosch portrayed himself in the Hell panel, split in two. According to this interpretation, the artist is a man whose torso resembles a cracked eggshell who smiles ironically as he looks at the scenes of hell.

15. Bosch has earned a reputation as a surrealist innovator with the "Garden of Earthly Delights"

Until the 1920s, before the advent of Bosch's admirer Salvador Dali, surrealism was not popular. Some modern critics call Bosch the father of surrealism, because he wrote 400 years before Dali.

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