Bosch's pictures have always fascinated viewers, but in earlier centuries it was widely assumed that his diabolic scenes were intended merely to amuse or titillate, most people regarded him as "the inventor of monsters and chimeras." Philip II, though, collected his works more for education than for entertainment. A Dutch art historian in the early 17th century described Bosch's paintings chiefly as "wondrous and strange fantasies" often less pleasant than gruesome to look at'. In the 20th century, however, scholars decided that Bosch's art has a more profound significance, and there have been many attempts to explain its origins and meaning. Some writers saw him as a sort of 15th century surrealist and linked his name with that of Salvator Dali. For others, Bosch's art reflects mysterious practices of the Middle Ages. No matter what explanation and comprehension of his art might be, Bosch remains the most extravagant painter of his time.
1470s. Pen and bistre on paper. Albertina, Vienna, Austria.
1475-1480. Oil on panel. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. Read Note.
1480-1490. Oil on panel. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 1480-1490. Read Note.
1480-1490. Oil on panel. Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands. Read Note.
1485. Oil on panel. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.
1485. Oil on panel. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin, Germany. Read Note.
1485. Reverse of St. John the Evangelist on Patmos. Oil on panel. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.
1485-1490. Oil on panel. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Read Note.
1485-1490. Oil on panel. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Read Note.
1485-1490. Reverse of Christ Carrying the Cross. Oil on panel. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.
1485-1490. Oil on panel. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.
1485-1490. Central panel of the Haywain Triptych. Oil on panel. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. Read Note.
1485-1490. Left wing of the Haywain Triptych. Oil on panel. Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial, Spain. Read Note.
1485-1490. Right wing of the Haywain Triptych. Oil on panel. Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial, Spain. Read Note.
1485-1490. Central panel of the Haywain Triptych. Oil on panel. Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial, Spain. Read Note.
1500-1502. Closed outer wings of the Haywain triptych. Oil on panel. Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial, Spain. Read Note.
1490. Oil on panel. Städelsches Kunstinstitut mit Städtischer Galeria, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Read Note.
1490. Oil on panel. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA.
1490. Oil on panel. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Ghent, Belgium. Read Note.
1490-1500. Oil on panel. Louvre, Paris, France. Read Note.
Hieronymus Bosch. by G. Fomin. Moscow. 1974.
Hieronymus Bosch. by J. Fränger. Dresden. 1975.
Hieronymus Bosch. Moscow. 1991.
Painting of Europe. XIII-XX centuries. Encyclopedic Dictionary. Moscow. Iskusstvo. 1999.
Hieronymus Bosch by Walter S. Gibson. Thames & Hudson, 1985.
Bosch: C. 1450 1516 Between Heaven and Hell (Basic Series: Art) by Walter Bosing. TASCHEN America Llc, 2000.
Bosch: Master of the Grotesque--His Life in Paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, Alessia Devitini Dufour. DK Publishing, 1999.
Bosch by Federico Zeri. NDE Publishing,, 2001.
Masters of Art: Bosch by Carl Linfert. Harry N. Abrams, 1989.
The Secret Heresy of Hieronymus Bosch by Lynda Harris. Floris Books, 2002.
Hieronymus Bosch: The Complete Paintings and Drawings by Jos Koldeweij, Paul Vandenbroeck. Harry N. Abrams, 2001.
Hieronymus Bosch: Garden of Earthly Delights by Hans Belting. Prestel USA, 2002.