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Decoding The Secrets of Bosch’s Hell
Hieronymus Bosch’s Hell in The Garden of Earthly Delights is a visual dictionary that talks about biblical narratives, religious sentiments and human morality.
Each element in this masterpiece is filled with symbolism, which is mind-boggling, unsettling and leaves us with so many questions.
Why, when and how would the man be damned?
Is hell man-made?
Should we follow religion blindly?
I feel this was the whole point that Bosch was trying to make with this painting. Undoubtedly, this was Bosch’s most creative project.
In this essay, I’d try to dissect Bosch’s Hell elaborately with labels and pictures.
The right lowermost corner shows a pig adorning a nun’s veil. The pig has a quill in his hand and convinces a naked man to sign a legal document. Notice the red seal.
The helmeted demon offers a seal and the man standing beside the pig holds a pile of sealed documents. Notice a black toad on the henchman. The toad was a symbol of sin and corruption in medieval iconography.
What does it signify?
In the medieval era, “indulgences” became common in the Church. It was like a contract between the Church and a man to reduce the severity of his punishments and pave their path to heaven. In other words, paying silver or gold to buy purgation from the Church.
I mean, seriously?
These “purchases of Indulgences” soon got corrupted and the wealthy people started bribing bishops and priests. This seems to be a significant trigger for Protestant reformation.
A hanging leg on the helmeted demon could be because of “ergot.” Ergot was a fungus that grew on wheat and got popularized as ergotism, also known as “St. Anthony’s Fire” or “Devil’s curse.”
In the 20th century, it was identified that ergot fungus contained psychoactive substances used to synthesize LSD.
As we move to the lowermost left of the panel, a man is nailed to the board. The fantastical characters are drawn with so much conviction that they blend well in Bosch’s hell puzzle. The weird-looking monster squeezes the man’s neck.
The dices and cards reveal men’s pleasure.
The hand of the god, which balances a dice, is stabbed with a knife. It means the killing of morality and the beginning of sin.
A blindfolded man has a sword skewered through his neck.
The naked woman looks like a Dutch prostitute, holding a candle and pitcher.
A man hides with his hunchback propagates a theological phrase called Incurvatus in se, a life lived inward for oneself rather than outward for God.
The hare carries an inverted naked woman. “The hunted carrying the hunter.”
The wild hounds attack a man.
This snapshot covers the “7 deadly sins”, as enumerated by Pope Gregory in AD 590.
Greed — A man is excreting coins in a cesspool.
Gluttony — Another one vomits his own food in the cesspool.
Pride — A naked woman with an uncanny resemblance to Eve and a toad crawling up her breasts. Her mirror image is visible in the buttocks of a demon.
Sloth — A man sleeps while a toad crawls over his body.
An owl-shaped man, known as “Prince of Hell,” sits on the potty chair and simultaneously consumes and excretes a human. Other humans are drowning in the cesspool.
The Turks with the crescent moon hide behind the “Prince of Hell.”
This snapshot shows how non-religious music was considered sinful during those times.
The pig-shaped choirmaster yells and the musical notes are imprinted on the giant buttocks of a man. Little trivia — this musical note is transcribed in modern music.
A man is crucified on a giant harp with a toad burning near his side. Crucifixion in hell? What does it signify? I feel Bosch depicted the group of people who condemned the Church.
A blind man lies on an inverted hurdy-gurdy with a naked man balancing an egg beside him — another depiction of Incurvatus in se.
A demon beats the drum roll with a naked man captured inside.
The man holds an Ottoman flag above a man playing the trumpet.
The “tree man” shows a calm self-portrait of Bosch. His torso is a broken egg. People are partying inside the tavern and the tree man is balanced on a small boat. A bagpipe flag hoists on the broken egg.
The giant bagpipe on Bosch’s head depicts the erotic instrument due to its similarities with a man’s scrotum and penis. It also shows strange couples together, perhaps portraying “Beastiality?”
A giant knife in between the ears and a needle pierced shows the sufferings in hell.
A horse skull shows that death is inevitable and a man swinging through a giant key shows the “key to hell.”
A group of toads attacks a man and he seems to be a leader of an army. He holds the Ottoman flag. What does it suggest?
Another man climbs the ladder. Is it the ladder of hell?
The view of hell? An army of demons passes through the bridge.
The end is nigh!
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