What can’t be said about the (seemingly) enigmatic painter, Hieronymus Bosch? Since he first applied tempera to panel in the late 15th century, the works of this Netherlandish artist have inspired almost continuous attempts to explain his iconography which to many appeared to be without precedent. Well who am I to break the chain?
Welcome to the latest post for A Year in the Library. These posts are my attempt to curate mini-exhibitions for your bemusement from items in my library and collections.
I first learned about Hieronymus Bosch during an independent study in secondary school. His nightmarish iconography was so different from that of his contemporaries that I couldn’t help but be intrigued. And so many monsters! Many of his large compositions were populated by small chimeric creatures which compelled the viewer to literally lean in and take a closer look. When other artists of the time allocated most of their compositions to the rewards of heaven with just a corner allocated to the punishments of hell, Bosch inverted this ratio and devoted almost entire pictures to moralizing scenes of anguish and punishment.
The history of modern Boschian scholarship is just as interesting as the oeuvre with which it is concerned. Up until the 20th century, Bosch’s paintings were generally interpreted to be visual lessons in Christian morality, caricatures (albeit unique) of the folly of humankind and its consequences. Once you get to the 20th century however, all bets are off. Scholars and dilettantes alike proffered their versions of the one true meaning of Bosch’s symbolism. Among them...
Bosch was the earliest painter of the surrealist movement.
The paintings are allegorical puzzles designed to titillate and entertain.
Bosch was a secret member of a free-love Adamite sect. Or he was a Rosicrucian- take your pick.
The paintings are rebuses of traditional Netherlandish proverbs.
Dream symbolism was consciously employed to create the unusual iconography.
Bosch was a neurotic compelled to paint his fantasies to maintain his sanity.
Border drolleries from illuminated manuscripts provided much of the inspiration for Bosch’s bizarre imagery.
Bosch was on hallucinogenic drugs.
Bosch’s paintings are complex alchemical allegories. No wait, complex astrological allegories. Did I say astrological? I meant occult. Of maybe gnostic...
Or simply Bosch’s works are the product of a unique mind and can therefore never be fully understood. To quote the great art historian Erwin Panofsky (who specialized in iconography), Bosch’s symbolism is “too high for my wit”.
I’ll not tread far into this morass, but I believe that no great artist nor any great work of art has any one single meaning, rather they are syntheses of the artist’s time, temperament, intellect, artistic tradition, and the specifics of the commission.
Just a few books about Bosch...
Some books on Bosch (various).
Asst. 1947 – 2019.
Given the abundance of theories pertaining to Bosch’s painting, one could legitimately be excused for having a couple (or more) of books on the subject. This stack does not include the many articles on Bosch from various journals that also populate The Library.
Since many of the books on Bosch that promote the most interesting theories are themselves the least interesting to look at (as objects), the few books shown here are among some of those that provide the best images of Bosch’s work.
Hieronymus Bosch (2006).
Hardcover Book by Larry Silver. Abbeville, about 29 x 34 cm., 608 pp.
Not only does this book contain numerous large color images of Bosch’s works, but it also covers artworks that contextual his paintings as well as those who were influenced by it.
And you thought kissing a pig was a modern metaphor (we’ll have nun of that!).
Bosch was so popular that his Garden of Earthly Delights was recreated (loosely) in a tapestry. This is no mere travesty; tapestries such as this were extremely expensive to produce.
There are many prints based on Bosch’s works which are also covered in Silver’s book.
Hieronymus Bosch: The Complete Works (2013).
Hardcover Book by Stefan Fischer. Taschen, about 30 x 40 cm., 300 pp.
Here’s another of those luxurious art books published by Taschen that I find difficult to resist. This weighty tome is filled with color images of Boschian eye-candy.
A detail from the right panel of the Garden of Earthly Delights containing a visual pun- sitting on the throne. Nihil sub sole novum.
Just another day in a Bosch triptych.
The face of the “Tree Man” is thought to be a self-portrait of Bosch. He seems not to have been a vegan.
Hieronymus Bosch, Painter and Draughtsman: Catalogue Raisonné (2016).
Hardcover Book by Matthijs Ilsink, et al. Mercatorfonds, slipcase about 26 x 34 cm., 424 pp.
The Bible of Bosch, issued on the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death. For serious Hieronymuphiles, this one includes highly-detailed images and pictures of the backs of drawings. If this isn’t enough for you there’s also a 450-page plus companion volume of technical studies (you needn’t ask; of course I have that one too).
The stuff of an art historian’s dreams, forensic details in infrared and x-ray.
Are these all painted by the same hand?
The representation of grotesque and scowling faces in late medieval and Renaissance scenes of the Mocking of Christ is a study in and of itself. This one is by a follower of Bosch.
A detail from the painting above which may prove informative later in this post...
Some things pertaining to Bosch that are not books...
Boschian Painting (second half of 20th C.)
Oil on canvas, about 30 x 40 cm.
Did you ever dream of discovering a lost masterpiece in a Goodwill store? Well it happened to me during a visit to San Francisco several years ago. Rummaging through various kitschy curiosities I came upon this. The artist has chosen for the painting’s subject a detail from the Ghent Christ Carrying the Cross by an early 16th century follower of Bosch (see above). Was it the grotesque physiognomy, the brutally amateur style, or the price tag affixed to the front? Perhaps it was all of these and more; I threw caution to the wind and purchased it immediately.
If only all Old Master paintings were so well-documented.
Bosch Tarot (1999)
Tarot cards by Lo Scarabeo, about 7 x 12 cm.
Bosch’s iconography is perfectly suited to the Tarot. Better yet, unlike so many tarot decks that simply reproduce details from their chosen artworks, these cards contain original interpretations of Boschian themes.
The Tarot equivalent to the suit of diamonds. Images of characters eating and excreting coins are common in Netherlandish prints of the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the modern playing card deck, cups are equated with hearts.
This one’s got it in spades.
There seems to be a wand (club) missing from this interpretation of the night chair demon.
Hieronymus Bosch Sticker Book (2015)
Prestel, about 22 x 27 cm.
Sadly, this activity book sanitizes Bosch’s work in that it does not include any of his more monstrous or lewd figures. It does, however, allow budding artists to create their own versions of the Garden of Earthly Delights.
A fertile field for the artist’s imagination.
Not enough monsters in this collection to satisfy your Archivist.
A detail of one of the stickers.
Temptation of St. Anthony (1983)
Puzzle by Ravensburger, box about 50 x 35 cm.
Here is a study in potentiality and actuality. A life-sized reproduction of Bosch’s triptych (almost 8 x 6 feet when completed!) seemed like such a great idea at the time. Without (much) forethought of assembly, let alone display, your Librarian and Archivist asked for and received this puzzle many Christmases ago. In its (still) unassembled state, the puzzle retains its purity of concept, unencumbered by any pedestrian attempt to actually put together the 12,000 pieces.
Croy-Gebetbuch Faksimile (1993).
Sales brochure by Verlag Luzern, about 15 x 21 cm.
The Croy Hours (originally known as the Book of Drolleries) is an illuminated manuscript produced in Bruges in the early 16th century. This is a sales brochure for a luxury facsimile of the codex (still around online for about € 2,800 if you’re interested). It appears that some of the creatures from the margins of Croy Hours either influenced Bosch directly or were related to an earlier source that did so. The brochure’s cover provides a nice pastiche of some monstrosities.
Bosch in 3-D
An offshoot of a 19th century company specializing in restoration of religious art, Parastone offers original interpretations of famous paintings rendered in 3D. The company is located in ’s-Hertogenbosch, birthplace of ol’ Hieronymus himself. Is it any wonder they have a line of over 60 items devoted entirely to Bosch?
The Tree Man (c. 2010)
Parastone. Resin sculpture, about 23 cm tall.
This sculpture depicts in great detail the Tree Man from Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. It’s the next best thing to having a (late) medieval action figure!
Ear Knife (c. 2010).
Parastone. Resin sculpture, about 9 cm tall.
Hmmm... A phallic ear-knife reminiscent of some medieval siege machine pierced by an arrow? The real mystery is whether the knife’s monogram is a “B” of an “M”.
Devil on a Night Chair (c. 2010).
Parastone. Resin sculpture, about 22 cm tall.
And finally, a demon excreting souls from a night chair (portable toilet), a befitting conclusion to this pedantic romp through a shelf or three in the Early Netherlandish Painting section of The Library.
There’s a lot out there about Hieronymus Bosch, but I hope this post provided a little something you might not have read before or seen already.
Thank you for visiting.
de Gustibus
“Nothing is but what is not.”