It has been seen that at the end of the fifteenth century and in the early years of the sixteenth, a musical boating party was substituted in May miniatures for one of the several earlier iconographic norms. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, May scenes show a mounted young man hawking, as in the Rohan Hours, a type also widespread in the fourteenth century, or, as in the Limbourgs’ calendar illustration from the even more famous Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a scene of the whole court hawking in May. Earlier, however, in northern Italy May was represented as a pleasant outing, with strolling couples and a luncheon al fresco, in the landscape painting in the Torre d’Aquila of the Castello de Buon Consiglio at Trent [Pächt, 1950, 38]. Then, in what is, according to Schretlen [Schretlen, 1950, 20, pl. 13a], a German copy of a Netherlandish calendar for the years 1458 to 1477, we find May characterized in a scene of a youthful courtier seated beneath a tree playing a lute for his lady love, an iconographic motif seemingly of Italian derivation, though the lady’s immersion in a tub has another source. The motif of a naked woman in a tub probably derives from the representation of one of Venus’ children in the popular planet pictures. Northern illuminations and prints repeat the theme of amorousdalliance as a characteristic of the May scene in the fifteenth century. The scene of a young music-making couple became the preferred type, though the earlier hawking scene also appeared, but with far less frequency. However, only in the Ghent-Bruges region does the musical boating party with boughs in the boat appear as the May calendar scene. (pp. 273-274)

Cuttler, 1969

Bosch and the Narrenschiff: a problem in relationships

#73

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

The relation of the fully-dressed Man to the naked skinny men pushing him suggests a proverbial contrast between the lesser and the greater in size, dress, and occupation. The glutton rides along while they toil away much like the peasants Brant describes [Brant, 1962, 242]. (p.21)

Rossiter, 1973

Bosch and Brant: Images of Folly

#80

Couple in a pink tent with clothes on shore from An Allegory of Intemperance

The clothes and landscape in the foreground enhance this sense of unease by acquiring a life of their own. The mound or boulder nudging its way under the tent is a mysterious and silent force. The clothes parade from left foreground toward the ten in spaced intervals. One shoe almost walks through the tent doorway, while the other pair of shoes hangs strategically on the tree and points to the pig’s trotter over the tent, a sign of the devil. Though the clothes clearly belong to the naked swimmers, the ambiguity of their placement connects the two scenes of folly. In their steady march across the picture, the clothes seem a threat to both the men and the lovers and perhaps capable of some sudden rebellion. In Bosch’s painting no safety can be found on wisdom’s shore as Brant suggests, for the shore itself appears menacing. (p.22)

Rossiter, 1973

Bosch and Brant: Images of Folly

#88

Boat with ten people onboard from Ship of Fools

The miniature in the Schönbartbuch, with its blue moon boat, depicts the celebrations connected with the approach of spring, the Spring Festival being held on the day of the new moon coinciding with the spring solstice [Saintyves, 1937, 381; “Carrus Navalis in Schönbartbuch”, 16th century; “Carrus Navalis in Schönbartbuch”, 1908]. There are numerous rerpesentations of the lunar carnival boat with music-makers in illustrations of this festival in 15th- and 16th-century calendars. For instance, a woodcut for the month of May by Hans Sebald Beham [Bax, 1949, 194; Beham, ca. 1530-1562] shows music-makers in a boat which has a flat bottle hanging over the side and is being pushed by naked figures, all of which elements also occur in Bosch’s representation of the lunar boat. (p.57)

Boczkowska, 1971

The Lunar Symbolism of The Ship of Fools by Hieronymus Bosch

#205

Boat with ten people onboard from Ship of Fools

Dus zouden wij de Blauwe Schuit, zooals wij haar op het schilderij van Bosch zien, als een reëele weergave hebben te aanvaarden; ook de beide zwemmers op den voorgrond. Voor de authenticiteit van dergelijke groteske figuren bij vertooningen van dezen aard hebben wij een bewijs in het in 1445 uitgevaardigde verbod van den aartsbisschop van Sens, waarbij de lieden veroordeeld werden, die min of meer naakt — „sine verendorum tegmine” — met hun wagenspelen door de stad trokken, „in curribus et vehiculis sordidis” [de Julleville, 1889, 40]. In hun naaktheid heeft men slechts een uiting van de naieve, populaire zinnelijkheid te zien, die een zonderlinge tegenstrijdigheid vormt met het sterke schaamtegevoel, dat het tijdvak overigens vertoont. Professor Huizinga, die deze eigenaardigheid bij veel tableaux-vivants der teneinde loopende Middeleeuwen gesignaleerd heeft, wees er tevens op, dat zij niets te maken heeft met Griekschen schoonheidszin of platte onbeschaamdheid [Huizinga, 1919, 521 ff.]. (p. 155-156)

Enklaar, 1933

De Blaue Schult

#222

Boat with ten people onboard from Ship of Fools

Enklaar, 1937

Varende Luyden. Studiën over de middeleeuwsche groepen van onmaatschappelijken in de Nederlanden.

#300

Two men in the waters from Ship of Fools

Two naked men swim in the dark water in front of the boat, one trying to climb on board, the other holding his full bowl above the water line. (p. 191)

Fischer, 2016

Jheronimus Bosch

#304

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

In the upper left corner the representation of Gluttony and Folly continues wich the four almost naked figures in the water, clinging wich obvious intent to a barrel that is evidently very full. Sitting astride che floating barrel is a scout buisine player, carrying over his right shoulder a maypole with a ball hanging from it, and wearing on his head a hood and an inverted funnel. He represents Prodigality. Nearer the foreground another figure swims about aimlessly; in place of a hat he wears a poultry pie served on a plate or circular tray and with the head of a small spoonbill sticking out of it. (p. 192)

Fischer, 2016

Jheronimus Bosch

#454

Two men in the waters from Ship of Fools

Alongside the boat appear two nude swimmers, one holding out his wine cup for replenishment. (p. 41)

Gibson, 1973

Hieronymus Bosch

#501

Two men in the waters from Ship of Fools

Alongside the boat appear two nude swimmers, one holding out his wine cup for replenishment. (p. 30)

Bosing, 1987

Hieronymus Bosch c.1450-1516

#805

Boat with ten people onboard from Ship of Fools

…lively nudes (and clothed figures) indulging their appetites for food and luxury with the implication of sex) also appear in a divided wing, shared by the Ship of Fools (Musee du Louvre, Paris) and Allegory of Gluttony (Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven) [Bosch, ca. 1495–1500] from a dismembered triptych [Morganstern, 1984, 295-302]. (p. 28)

Silver, 2006

Hieronymus Bosch

#806

Couple in a pink tent with clothes on shore from An Allegory of Intemperance

…lively nudes (and clothed figures) indulging their appetites for food and luxury with the implication of sex) also appear in a divided wing, shared by the Ship of Fools (Musee du Louvre, Paris) [Bosch, ca. 1475-1500] and Allegory of Gluttony (Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven) from a dismembered triptych [Morganstern, 1984, 295-302]. (p. 28)

Silver, 2006

Hieronymus Bosch

#807

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

…lively nudes (and clothed figures) indulging their appetites for food and luxury with the implication of sex) also appear in a divided wing, shared by the Ship of Fools (Musee du Louvre, Paris) [Bosch, ca. 1475-1500] and Allegory of Gluttony (Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven) from a dismembered triptych [Morganstern, 1984, 295-302]. (p. 28)

Silver, 2006

Hieronymus Bosch