Iconology of the Wayfarer Triptych – Detail

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)

For the devil, peering down from the bed canopy at the dying man directly beneath him, brandishes an infernal trophy: the cloven foot of a pig, the phallic hoof of the devil, which Bosch regularly uses to symbolize base desires. Representing the pleasure principle of incessantly self-begetting evil, this pig’s foot is the penultimate object our eye encounters. Set against the full-moon circle symbolizing divine perfection, it epitomizes all the pernicious growths that stem from avarice, the “root of all evil.” [English Standard Version Bible, 2001, 1 Timothy, 6:10] (p. 300)

… this image by Bosch renders the happy ending of the text and its illustrations problematic at best. Whereas only a single angel appears in the panel, and his message is being ignored by its target recipient, devils abound – as is usual in the painted settings of Bosch. Upon the canopy above the bed, another toadlike demon hovers with a flaming torch, counterpoint to the rays of natural light coming through the window at the same level. This imp stands ready to negate the ministrations should the demon with the money bags fail to distract the dying man from the front. (p. 242)