Iconology of the Wayfarer Triptych – Detail

The girl looking from the window in Bosch’s painting, though different from Bruegel’s virgo, may thus represent the same zodiac sign. That Bosch actually meant to depict virgo in the wench looking from the window is evident from her attribute, the mirror. The virgo in the Housebook which appears on the page showing Mercury and his “children” holds a similar round convex mirror in her hand [Master of the Housebook, ca. 1475]. (p. 19)

The peddler is obviously coming from this tavern; his looking back to it makes this point perfectly clear. The inn, however, is has brought financial ruin upon him, as has been assumed who took the figure for the Prodigal Son. Quite to the peddler the tavern is a place of business and provides him with a living. The connection between the inn and the peddler is a Vagrant vendors found their best clientele and made their places like this. The peddler was a standard figure in taverns traders are frequently represented in such surroundings century compositions [Philip, 1958, 68:note 141; van Hemessen, 1536; Ganz, 1924, 146; Enklaar, 1937, 94]. The peddler painted by Bosch has undoubtedly sold wares in the inn. We know from representations of the time that mirrors formed important part of the goods which peddlers carried in their back-baskets [Philip, 1958, 68:note 142; Bruegel, 1562; van Bastelaer, 1908, 148; Hollstein, 1949, 284]. We may, therefore, not go too wrong in assuming that the girl at the window has been purchased from the Peddler. (pp. 67-68)