Adoration of the Magi (triptych)


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          The Hay Cart (triptych)


 

        The Hay Cart (detail of central panel)

       The Hay Cart (detail)

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     "Bosch's most famous work, the so-called Garden of Earthly Delights, is also his most enigmatic, so no interpretation of it is universally accepted.  This large-scale work takes the form of a triptych.  More than seven feet high, the painting extends to more than twelve feet wide when opened.  This triptych format seems to indicate a religious function for this work, but documentation reveals that Garden of Earthly Delights resided in the palace of Henry III of Nassau, regent of the Netherlands, seven years after its completion.  This suggests a secular commission for private use.  Scholars have proposed that such a commission, in conjunction with the central themes of marriage, sex, and procreation, points to a wedding commemoration, which ... was not uncommon.... The orgiastic overtones of Garden of Earthly Delights, in conjunction with the terrifying image of Hell, have led some scholars to interpret this triptych, like other Last Judgement images, as a warning to viewers of the fate awaiting the sinful, decadent, and immoral."

 - Gardner's Art Through The Ages, 11th edition, Vol. II, p. 580