Bosch and the hidden devils of the Garden Paulo Martins Oliveira

Like other artists of his time, Jheronimus Bosch concealed devilish figures in paintings, aiming different purposes simultaneously1.

As an illustrative example, the first panel of the Garden of Earthly Delights hides some demons, each carefully interconnected with the respective superimposed story.

Thus, the lower part of the panel surreptitiously alludes to the controversial human dimension of Jesus, which was an important issue for the humanist freethinkers of the Renaissance.

For instance, Erasmus wrote in his Praise of Folly: “And Christ himself, that he might the better relieve this folly, being the wisdom of the father, yet in some manner became a fool when taking upon him the nature of man, he was found in shape as a man”.

In this context, various painters encrypted a Christ much closer to mankind, filling a mysterious gap in the Gospels and bypassing the official interpretations of the Church2.

Also Jheronimus Bosch concealed devilish faces (interconnected) to indicate the double reading on the figure of Christ, implying a tension between his two dimensions.

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Jheronimus BoschThe Garden of Earthly Delights (det.)

© - Available for consultation

In this particular, Bosch adapted the earlier Arnolfini Portrait, in which Jan van Eyck had enciphered this issue3.

Moreover, the same detail from the Garden of Earthly Delights also relates to other works by Bosch4.

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Jheronimus BoschThe Garden of Earthly Delights (det.)

Jheronimus BoschSt. John at Pamos (det.)

Jheronimus Bosch (copy)Marriage Feast at Cana (det.)Christ and Magdalene are the real groomand bride of this surreptitious wedding,of which John is again the best man.

“Adam” is John, the favorite apostle(Jn.20:21), here the best man of this

symbolic marriage with “Eve” (Magdalene).

Jan van EyckThe Arnolfini Portrait

However, the Christ of the multilayered Garden also represents the martyr Charles the Bold, who has his counterpart in the Anti-Christ/Emperor Maximilian Habsburg, in the opposite panel.

In the first panel, and besides Adam and Eve, “Charles” is flanked by two devils that symbolize the late Emperor Frederick III and his son and successor Maximilian Habsburg, which reflects the nationalist consciousness of Jheronimus Bosch5.

This principle is replicated above, where a noble swan is also in between two monsters.

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So, the fountain in the lake is actually a large devil, with a long crown and two arms6.

On the waterfront there is the other devil, more specifically a giant face crowned with a tree.

Following a very precise and consistent allegorical grammar, these two large demons symbolize again Emperor Frederick III and his heir Maximilian Habsburg, considered usurpers of the independent Duchy of Burgundy, until then governed from Bosch’s native Burgundian Netherlands7.

4

The face The crowned head The full body

Other examples of symbolic depictions ofFrederick III and Maximilian, by Bosch

In conclusion, these cases illustrate the ingenious versatility of this kind of art, being Jheronimus Bosch one of its most talented creators.

2013

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Jheronimus BoschCrowning with thorns (det.)

(the martyr is Charles the Bold)

Frederick III

Engelbert

Maximilian

Charles the Bold

Engelbert

Frederick III andMaximilian Habsburg

Jheronimus BoschTriptych of St.Julia/Liberata(sup./det.)(the martyr is Mary ofBurgundy)

Some other examples of devilish faces in artworks

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Pieter BruegelThe Procession to Calvary

TitianThe Pesaro Altarpiece

RembrandtPhilosopher in meditation

NOTES

1 This device is presented and contextualized in the book The Devils of Art. As for the correct name of the artist, see the article “Porquê ‘Jheronimus’ Bosch?” and its infographics. The decoding of his works is presented in the book Jheronimus Bosch – o relojoeiro dos símbolos.

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2 The fallible dimension of Christ and the transition to a higher state (after the baptism in the Jordan) are actually surprisingly common subjects in the art of that period, being subtly disguised by association with other issues and episodes.

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3 Giovanni Arnolfini was depicted in the role of a humanized (ordinary) Jesus. At the back of the room, the mirror (surrounded by scenes of the Passion) symbolizes Christ’s higher destiny.

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4 The artist was in fact establishing connections between his works.

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5 On this specific issue see the articles “The nationalist and rational Jheronimus Bosch”, and “Bosch, the surdo canis”.

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6 In the following 17th century, Johannes Vermeer concealed specific devils with long “crowns”, now symbolizing Louis XIV of France, the new menace on the Netherlands. The works of Vermeer are indeed one of the greatest expressions of artistic ingenuity, as will be detailed in another study. Examples:

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7 These two devilish characters have a symmetrical correspondence with two monstrous faces disguised in the members of the commonly designated “tree-man”, on the other lateral panel.

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Maximilian

Engelbert