Iconology of the Wayfarer Triptych – Detail

#711

Pole in background from The Pedlar

At the right hand side of the Peddler, there is a pole represented in the background standing on the yellow hills of a waste land with a bare and dead tree in front of it. That this is a place of execution is beyond doubt. The pole in the background is a wheel and corresponds to the small wheels and gallows which seem to have appeared also in the other compositions of Bosch’s series. This place of execution does not only occur in the Peddler but also in the background of some copies of the Conjurer [Bosch, ca. 1475] and in the background of the copies of the Stone-Operation [Bosch, ca. 1501-1505]. It is evident that Bosch meant to show that all four of the evil characters of his series will finally end on the gallows. (p. 71)

Philip, 1958

The Peddler by Hieronymus Bosch, a study in detectio

#874

Pole in background from The Pedlar

…it is possible to see the gate as a marker of transition, even of transformative change, but visible beyond it are gallows, a form of earthly punishment for sins. (p. 259)

Silver, 2006

Hieronymus Bosch