Iconology of the Wayfarer Triptych – Detail

The drama of the scene is heightened by the arrival of Death, who is already standing in the open doorway. (p. 192)

The Grim Reaper, holding an arrow, has just opened the door, signalling the old man’s last hour. (p. 298)

There are many points of correspondence between Bosch’s painting and Ars moriendi images, such as the figure of Death as a shrouded skeleton, the juxtaposition of angel and devil on the headboard of the bed, and the oblique angle of the bed [Ars moriendi, ca. 1415-1450]. (pp. 17-18)

The deadly archer, entering the room directly below the feet of the crucified Christ, marks the transcendental crossroads of the painting. He has nothing to do with the treasure chest or with the already abandoned possessions in the foreground. He takes his stand well behind those trifling objects. (p. 299)

Despite the relative animation of the old man in his bed the nemesis figure of Death appears in the doorway as a skeleton in a shroud. As he opens the door, Death reaches into the room, pointing an arrow held in his right hand in the direction of the dying miser. Pentimenti reveal that the arrow was originally intended to extend farther, almost to the edge of the bed, stopping just before the edge of the pillow above the head of the demon. Their physical confrontation marks tlus encounter as the most feared of late-medieval deaths, the sudden death, not prepared for with repentance and confession to provide absolution for sins. Indeed, so strong was this fear that St. Christopher was often invoked as the patron saint to protect against sudden, unprepared death and its attendant danger of danmation. In fact, enormous wall paintings of the giant Christopher often appeared on church walls, even on outside walls, in order to provide a ready and accessiblc image for prophylaxis [Dolan, 1964, 60]. (p. 242)