What ancient legend is hidden by Bosch's painting "Removing the stone of stupidity"

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

In Bosch's curious painting "Removing the Stone of Stupidity," the artist skillfully reflects the Dutch metaphor popular at that time, and also ridicules the attempts of the protagonist - a pseudo-doctor - to heal the madness of his patient. What symbolism does the canvas hide? What do the funnel on the surgeon's head and the book on the old woman's head mean? And most importantly, what is this belief about the extraction of the stone of stupidity?

Hieronymus Bosch, a religious artist and firm moralist who loved everyday scenes, came from a talented galaxy of painters. Although his paintings are often regarded as sermons and therefore difficult to translate, Bosch is certainly a talented master who demonstrates with his work a deep understanding of the human character. By using stunning fantasy imagery to portray moral and religious ideas and stories, Bosch has managed to distinguish himself from his contemporaries. Yes, there is a certain pessimism in the work of Bosch, but his works are perceived easily and fascinatingly thanks to the humorous note and caustic satire. This is especially clearly reflected in his work "Removing the stone of stupidity."

Plot

The painting was ordered by Philip of Burgundy, known as Bastard of Burgundy, the illegitimate son of Philip the Fair, founder of the Order of the Golden Fleece. It was Philip of Burgundy who commissioned a work from Bosch, reminiscent of the coat of arms of the Order, of which he was a member. The painting is a folk story. At first glance, this is a common and really dangerous operation, which for some reason the surgeon performs in the open air, having placed a strange funnel on his head. The Dutch expression "to have a stone in the head" meant "to be stupid, insane, with the head out of place." The plot of the removal of the "stone of stupidity" is often traced in Dutch engravings, painting and literature up to the 17th century.

The calligraphic inscription above and below reads: “Master, remove the stone. My name is Lubbert Das. Lubbert is a common noun that is used as a nickname for a lazy and stupid person. The metaphor is created from the word badger (das) - a night creature who is considered lazy. At the time of Bosch, there was a belief: a madman can be healed if the stones are removed from his head.

Heroes and symbols

There are four characters involved in this scene. The far left is a surgeon and a charlatan. Instead of a bag on his belt, he has the gray-brown porcelain stoneware jug so often depicted by Bosch. The surgeon stands over the unfortunate patient and carries out his deceitful manipulations. What he removes from the patient's head is not a stone, but a tulip, similar to the one on the table (apparently, it remained after the previous operation). The artist portrayed the patient as a fat elderly peasant tied to a chair, and even without shoes, in a dark robe - an assistant and a monk. He either forgives sins, or distracts the attention of the operated person. A jug in his hands, probably with wine. And it is here for a reason. Wine is necessary to forget about pain. And it can also indicate the drunkenness of the monk himself. Thus, the picture has an anti-clerical plan, where a monk and a nun convinced the unfortunate man to use a charlatan for a useless operation. They are conspiring against the unfortunate. At the table is an old nun with a book on her head. A woman's wallet indicates her material interest in the scam.

Looking at this kind of operation, scientists ask themselves whether such surgical interventions, which Bosch portrays, were really carried out? Most importantly, is the painting a fact or fiction? We cannot know exactly what life was like 500 years ago, especially with regard to medicine and science, which were at best a mixture of magic, superstition and guesswork. However, we do know that in Bosch's time, the concept of "stone operation" was a metaphor for a cure for insanity and stupidity. The name of Bosch's obese patient, "Lubbert", confirms this, as the Dutch folk tradition gives this nickname to fools. Based on this, the symbolism of the canvas can be distinguished:1. The inverted funnel on the surgeon's head is an allusion to the absent-mindedness of this so-called pundit. In addition, in this context, it serves as a sign of deception. 2. The closed book on the nun's head and the surgeon's funnel, respectively, symbolize the uselessness of the knowledge gained and stupidity. 3. A book on the head is another sign of false wisdom. The healing in this plot is pure charlatanism. 4. It was found that the flower on the table is a tulip. In medieval symbolism, the tulip implied silly naivety.

Composition

In the center of his canvas, Bosch carved a circle in which he depicted the scene of the extraction of the stone of madness. The round composition - tondo - was very popular in the 15th century. The composition looks as if the viewer is examining the scene through the keyhole. Another version of this format is a mirror that reflects human madness. Bosch sets the scene outdoors on a small promontory that opens onto a plain with two cities in the distance. The setting is open countryside, vegetal landscape. In addition, the artist gave this scene a decorative frame of intertwined gold ribbons on a black background with Gothic lettering. In general, this work is written in a muted palette, the black background creates a gloomy mood, even the sky and the background landscape are gloomy here.

In this work, Bosch innovated by transforming popular saying and belief into a visual image. By adding golden calligraphic text and visuals (sometimes called love knots), Bosch turns the plot into a visual and verbal play. This play on words and images that complement each other becomes more complex when we realize that what is being drawn from the patient's head is a tulip flower and therefore a hint of stupidity.