Iconology of the Wayfarer Triptych

Bosch and the Narrenschiff: a problem in relationships

And the pennant flying in the breeze carries the sign of the most threatening pagans of the day, the Turks. Their crescent insignia was frequently used by Bosch to indicate the enemies of Christian belief [Bosch, ca. 1494 (Ecce Homo); Bosch, ca. 1500 (Temptations of St. Anthony); Bosch, ca. 1510; Bosch, ca. 1498; Bosch, ca. 1505]. (p. 274)

Cuttler, 1969

#109

God in the Details: Bosch and Judgment(s)

Certainly, the crescent moon could have been associated with Islam and thus with heresy and enemies of Christianity by Bosch… (p.647, note 20)

Silver, 2001

#117

Hartau, 2005 (Bosch and the Jews)

…normally, the half-moon stands for the Turkish world. Bosch’s use of the crescent moon in other paintings, such as Crowning with Thorns and Ecce Homo [Bosch, ca. 1510; Bosch, ca. 1494 (Ecce Homo); Marijnissen, 1987, 353, 369, 373 note 6; Cinotti, 1966, cin. 57, cin. 10], demonstrates his reference to the Jewish world, possibly meaning the threatening “otherness” of the heretic world as such. (pp.32-33)

Bosch and the Jews

#121

Man on a barrel with five skinny men in the waters from An Allegory of Intemperance

The Jews were considered lazy, and, as the reproach went, rather than earning their bread “by the sweat of their brows” like the Christians, they preferred to let their money work for them. Jews quite simply epitomised “avarus”. Later on, in the 17th century, Jews were often depicted as “Weinjuden” riding on a barrel [Hooffacker, 1988, 43, 54f., 152]. In Aesop’s fables, in the newly revised version by by Sebastian Brant, one comes across the illustrated tale, “De Judeo qui cacando invenit pecuniam” [Aesop, ca. 1501, 320r] (pp. 37-38)

Hartau, 2005 (Bosch and the Jews)

Bosch and the Jews

#124

Ragged poor man from The Pedlar

The Pedlar does not have a Jewish physiognomy, but a number of features may allude to Judaism, such as the ostentatiously displayed money pouch (the attribute of Judas), the shoemaker’s awl in the hat (Ahasuerus was originally a cobbler) [Le Juif errant: un témoin du temps, 2001], and perhaps also the trotter, incongruously protruding from his waistcoat. It recalls miniatures showing Jews gnawing on a paw, here it is a lamb’s hoof, slaughtered in the kosher manner for Passah [The eating of the passover lamb, from Historia Scholastica, ca. 1450-1455; Calkins, 1978, 140]. The leg wound is significant since it represents moral reprobation. (pp. 40-41)

Hartau, 2005 (Bosch and the Jews)

Bosch and the Jews

#538

Jester from Ship of Fools

The fool with cap and bells sits in the tree. and above, the baleful owl and the flag of heresy (crescent moon) explain the nature of the boat. (p. 93)

Cinotti, 1966

The complete paintings of Bosch

#539

The complete paintings of Bosch

The fool with cap and bells sits in the tree. and above, the baleful owl and the flag of heresy (crescent moon) explain the nature of the boat. (p. 93)

Cinotti, 1966

#540

Owl in the masthead from Ship of Fools

The fool with cap and bells sits in the tree. and above, the baleful owl and the flag of heresy (crescent moon) explain the nature of the boat. (p. 93)

Cinotti, 1966

The complete paintings of Bosch

#560

Boat with ten people onboard from Ship of Fools

The Cathars did not believe that the material body would ever be resurrected. According to their doctrines, it was discarded forever at death and it dissolved into its original elements [Ivanov, 1976, 180ff]. Bosch illustrates this last idea by the half-submerged ship in the distance. This physical boat (the body) sinks back into the waters of the material world, much as Bosch’s ships of fools might, if they were abandoned by their passengers [Harris, 1995, 201 – 214; Allberry, 1938, 139, 147, 217, 218] (p.179)

Bird on wooden gate or fence from The Pedlar

#572

The dual nature of the Hearer, which contains both darkness and light, is also symbolized by the black and white plumage of the two magpies in the painting. One of these is trapped in a cage next to the door of the inn, and the other stands on a bar of the gate in front of the peddler. (p. 164)

Hanging birdcage from The Pedlar

#573

Ragged poor man from The Pedlar

#580

The spinder in the hat held out by the Hearer in the panel at Rotterdam is a traditional symbol of the weaving of the thread of physical life. Only one small strand remains on it, and as Wertheim says, this is probably a sign that the peddler has very little left on earth. Alternatively, in the interpretation of Stein Schneider, the spindle itself is an image of continuing death and rebirth, which implies reincarnation [Wertheim Aymès, 1957, 39; Stein-Schneider, 1984, 59f.; Cooper, 1982, 170]. Perhaps Boseh is expressing both ideas. In any case, the gallows on the hill behind the gate and spindle warns us that the pilgrim will suffer spiritual death if his desires lead to his rebirth in the physical world. the gallows on the hill behind the gate and spindle warns us that the pilgrim will suffer spiritual death if his desires lead to his rebirth in the physical world. In any case, the gallows on the hill behind the gate and spindle warns us that the pilgrim will suffer spiritual death if his desires lead to his rebirth in the physical world. In the Haywain panels [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515], the same danger is suggested by the crack, implying the possibility of breakage, on the stone bridge which the wayfarer is about to cross. Even the stone gateposts in the painting at Rotterdam repeat the message. Close examination reveals that one of these is cracked and crumbling, while the other is firm and unblemished. This contrast symbolizes the peddler’s choice between salvation in the world of light, and rebirth into hell (the Cathar name for the earth). (p. 165)

#581

Dog from The Pedlar

The two Hearers [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515, “The Haywain Triptych”] are tempted by Satan’s world, and, as Cathars, they are also persecuted by it. This is hinted at in both works by the fierce dog, wearing the same spiked collar as the ‘Dominican’ in the National Gallery Crowning with Thorns [Bosch, ca. 1510, “The crowning with thorns”], which barks at the peddlers’ feet and staffs. This demonic animal is an image of the Church Inquisitors who threaten and torment the Cathar believers as they travel through the world of matter. The same message is repeated in the left background of the Haywain panels [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515, “The Haywain Triptych”], where a meek and unresisting man is tied to a tree by brigands. This scene has a clear resemblance to Bosch’s depiction of the thief (standing to the right of the picture) on the exterior of the Lisbon St Anthony [Bosch, ca. 1500, “Temptations of St. Anthony”; Harris, 1995, 146-152]. Like the latter, it represents an unfortunate Cathar heretic submitting to the persecutions of the demonic members of the Church hierarchy. The lot of the Hearer is difficult in more than one way. It is not surprising that Bosch’s pilgrims look troubled as they travel through the world. (p. 165)

Ragged poor man from The Pedlar

#582

The two Hearers [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515] are tempted by Satan’s world, and, as Cathars, they are also persecuted by it. This is hinted at in both works by the fierce dog, wearing the same spiked collar as the ‘Dominican’ in the National Gallery Crowning with Thorns [Bosch, ca. 1510], which barks at the peddlers’ feet and staffs. This demonic animal is an image of the Church Inquisitors who threaten and torment the Cathar believers as they travel through the world of matter. The same message is repeated in the left background of the Haywain panels [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515], where a meek and unresisting man is tied to a tree by brigands. This scene has a clear resemblance to Bosch’s depiction of the thief (standing to the right of the picture) on the exterior of the Lisbon St Anthony [Bosch, ca. 1500 (Temptations of St. Anthony); Harris, 1995, 146-152]. Like the latter, it represents an unfortunate Cathar heretic submitting to the persecutions of the demonic members of the Church hierarchy. The lot of the Hearer is difficult in more than one way. It is not surprising that Bosch’s pilgrims look troubled as they travel through the world. (p. 165)