Iconology of the Wayfarer Triptych

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

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

Enklaar, 1937

#236

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

It shows a carousing couple hidden in a tent. (p. 34)

Benesch, 1957

Hieronymus Bosch and the thinking of the late Middle Ages.

#258

… show people wasting their lives on pleasure and wealth. (p. 24)

Man on his deathbed with a chest from Death and the Miser

#259

… show people wasting their lives on pleasure and wealth. (p. 24)

#260

Nuns and monk were not always as pious as they promised to be. These two are having more fun than people then thought they should. (p. 24)

#263

… a house of prostitution (p. 85)

#276

Cette page magnifique de la peinture nous offre un spectacle triste où rien ne soUrit. Si pourtant, nous sourions de plaisir en pensant à la longue allegresse du peintre pendant qu’il inventait ces fous, les agglom^rait successivement et avec malice sur line barque pleine de perils, au mat dangereusement chargé, pendant qu’il vouait ces fous, ces fous si semblables aux sages, à une exhibition honteuse de leur folie, à une mort ridicule. (pp. 3- 4)

de Boschère, 1947

Jérôme Bosch

#287

Table with beaker and cherries from Ship of Fools

… a brothel in a dilapidated house (p. 191)

Fischer, 2016

Jheronimus Bosch

#294

A pewter beaker and a plate of cherries, symbols of carnal lust [Vandenbroeck, 1989, 162f], stand between them (the friar and nun) on a plank that projects out over the side of the boat like a springboard. (p. 191).

Fischer, 2016

Jheronimus Bosch

#306

Stick with upturned jug from Ship of Fools

Here, too, a jug is hooked upside down over a branch. The association of drinking, eating, music-making and lust is one we have already encountered in the Garden of Earthly Delights [Bosch, ca. 1490-1500]. Here, as there, flourishing nature becomes a symbol of the uncurbed human instincts that seek only sensual pleasure. (p. 192)

Fischer, 2016

Jheronimus Bosch

#342

Hieronymus Bosch: The pilgrimage of life triptych

The caged magpie, the jug on the stick al the top of the roof, the dovecote and the sign with a swan are all clues – one by itself would suffice, but taken altogether they leave no room for doubt – that this is a brothel. A woman standing in the doorway is embraced by a soldier or Landsknecht, of the type who featured in the visual art of this period as regular visitors to this kind of establishment [Lammertse & van der Coelen, 2015, 118-122, 141-144]. His gigantic pike – they could be up to five or six metres long – stands against the façade. (p. 294)

Lammertse, 2017

#343

Hieronymus Bosch: The pilgrimage of life triptych

The bird cage also occurs in brothel scenes depicted by Jan Sanders van Hemessen and the Brunswick Monogrammist (see Lammertse and van der Coelen [Lammertse & van der Coelen, 2015, 143, 159]; the jug on a stick and the dovecote can be interpreted as symbols of copulation [Bax, 1949; de Bruyn, 2001]; in a painting of ca. 1480 by an anonymous Brussels artist, a sign with a swan hangs outside a brothel to which Saint Lucy is being led [Bücken & Steyaert, 2013, 277]. (p. 301, note 11)

Lammertse, 2017

#355

Hieronymus Bosch: The pilgrimage of life triptych

Two traditions are of importance in interpreting the merrymakers in the boat in particular. First of all, the branches, as well as the cherries on the plank that serves as a makeshift table, clearly show that these people have set out on a pleasure trip. Especially in the spring, highborn youngsters amused themselves by flirting and making music while sailing around in boats decorated with foliage. This happened in real life, but it was also portrayed in numerous book of hours as illustrations of the month of May. Those depictions, however, invariably show elegantly dressed boys and girls, whose polished manners cannot be compared with the debauched doings of Bosch’s figures. Merrymaking monks and nuns never appear in such scenes [Bax, 1949, 194; de Bruyn, 2001, 80-83; Silver, 2006, 243-252; Ilsink et al., 2016, 212] yet they are part of the other tradition from which this painting seems to derive. Revellers in boats or barges who flout the norms and values of society are known from countless sixteenth-century poems, prints and religious processions. Again and again, social norms were ridiculed by displays of dissolute behaviour, by showing how not to do it, by acting out the topsy-turvy world. For those receptive to the message, it was immediately clear where such behaviour would finally lead – to perdition [Pleij, 1979; Lammertse & van der Coelen, 2015, 62]. (p. 298)

Lammertse, 2017

#380

Koldeweij, Vandenbroeck & Vermet, 2001

The rejection of enjoyment and lust is expressed in Bosch’s work in themes like the Allegory of Gluttony (and Lechery) and the Ship of Fools (originally together on one panel); Shrove Tuesday, Singers in an Egg [Follower of Jheronimus Bosch, ca. 1561], Mock Tournament on the Ice [Follower of Pieter Huys, ca. 1560] and Tavern Scene – all of which only survive in the form of copies; the drawings of the Tree-Man [Bosch, ca. 1505] and the Witches [Bosch, 15th century] (who may also represent people celebrating Shrove Tuesday); and the Blue Ship [van der Heyden, 1559] and Merrymakers Sailing in a Mussel Shell [van der Heyden, 1562], which survive in the form of prints… They tell us how human beings fall into such misbehaviour when they fail to resist the blandishments of their senses [Badius, 1502; Follower of Jheronimus Bosch, ca. 1555-1575]. (p. 123ff)

Hieronymus Bosch. The Complete Paintings and Drawings

#381

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

The rejection of enjoyment and lust is expressed in Bosch’s work in themes like the Allegory of Gluttony (and Lechery) and the Ship of Fools (originally together on one panel); Shrove Tuesday, Singers in an Egg [Follower of Jheronimus Bosch, ca. 1561, “Concert in the egg”], Mock Tournament on the Ice [Follower of Pieter Huys, ca. 1560, “Grotesque Duel on the Ice”] and Tavern Scene – all of which only survive in the form of copies; the drawings of the Tree-Man [Bosch, ca. 1505, “The Tree man”] and the Witches [Bosch, 15th century, “Sorcières et monstres (Witches and monsters)”] (who may also represent people celebrating Shrove Tuesday); and the Blue Ship [van der Heyden, 1559, “Die Blau Schuyte (Ship of Fools)”] and Merrymakers Sailing in a Mussel Shell [van der Heyden, 1562, “Merrymakers in a mussel shell”], which survive in the form of prints… They tell us how human beings fall into such misbehaviour when they fail to resist the blandishments of their senses [Badius, 1502; Follower of Jheronimus Bosch, ca. 1555-1575, “Shrovetide and Lent”]. (p. 123ff)

Koldeweij, Vandenbroeck & Vermet, 2001

Hieronymus Bosch. The Complete Paintings and Drawings

#382

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

Koldeweij, Vandenbroeck & Vermet, 2001

Hieronymus Bosch. The Complete Paintings and Drawings

#406

De ommegang met het wagenschip

Wij zien hier als steeds den loszinnigen geestelijke, het minlustige vrouwspersoon, twistende gezellen, watergeesten (verwant aan denWilden Man) en den met bellen versierden Nar, die zich hier wijs afzijdig houdt. (p. 29)

de Haas, 1942

#444

It shows a monk and two nuns or beguines carousing with a group of peasants in a boat. The oddly constructed boat carries a tree in full leaf for a mast, while a broken branch serves as a rudder. A fool is seated in the rigging on the right. (p. 40-41)

Gibson, 1973

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

#542

Allegory of pleasures (p. 93)

Cinotti, 1966

The complete paintings of Bosch

#543

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

Allegory of pleasures (p. 93)

Cinotti, 1966

The complete paintings of Bosch

#590

The left side-scene shows a disreputable house, its roof pitched at an awkward angle. The collapsing ridgepole, broken window panes, and sagging shutter, and the washing hung out to dry at the attic window make this sinister tavern a symbol of neglect and squalor. The blackness framed by the door and windows represents the murky background of the love affairs in the fugitive’s libertine past. (p. 258)

Fraenger, 1999

Wooden gate with ox and bird from The Pedlar

#620

The spiritual analogy with the Prodigal Son [English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Luke, 15:11-32] is obvious: Here a son has been lost to God (just as Adam was) because in the idleness of his dissolute life he totally forgot that the six days of Creation should be the model for man’s creative daily work. Instead, he lived his lives according to the “six things the Lord doth hate,” which are likewise enumerated in Proverbs [English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Proverbs, 6:9-19]. (p. 265)

Fraenger, 1999

#645

Lammertse & van der Coelen, 2015

What is funny at one point in time may not be regarded as remotely amusing at another. When Jheronimus Bosch painted a monk having fun with a nun in The Ship of Fools, most viewers would have seen the joke. Idling, merrymaking friars and lovesick pastors were among the stock characters in fiftheenth-century anecdotes, poems and farces. (p. 49)

De ontdekking an het dagelijks leven: Van Bosch tot Bruegell

#695

The Peddler by Hieronymus Bosch, a study in detectio

On the left side of the painting three figure representations are shown in and around the tavern: an amorous couple in the frame of the door, a girl looking out of a window with a mirror beside her, hanging inside the room on the window-post and, to the right of the building, a man relieving himself in a dark corner. All three are depicted on the same scale and they all occur on the same level and in the same section of the painting. This makes the three representations appear as elements of the same value and suggests that they may belong together… The print after Pieter Bruegel’s Triumph of Time [Bruegel, 1574] may help us with the interpretation of these three details… (p. 17)

Philip, 1958

#722

In der Ausgestaltung des «Narrenschiff» von Bosch findet sich einigesbei Brant wieder. Zum Beispiel im ersten Titelblatt von 1494 [Dürer, 1494 (Frontispiece of Daß Narrenschyff ad Narragoniam)], sind die Elemente Musik, Wimpel und Zaungäste vergleichbar. Andere Gemeinsamkeiten ergeben sich mit dem Titelblatt der lateinischen Ausgabe Basel 1497 [Brant, 1498 (Frontispiece)]: eine ähnliche Anzahl von Personen, ein trinkender Mönch sowie einige Gesten, wie die erhobenen Arme und das Über-dieReling-Hängen. Die weiblichen Passagiere kann Bosch in einer Pariser «Narrenschiff»-Ausgabe von 1500 gefunden haben, in den «Stultiferae naves» des Humanisten und Verlegers Jodocus Badius [Badius, 1500; Renouard, 1964, 197-213, 2, Nr. C 1, 77f.; Universitätsbibliothek Basel & Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg im Breisgau, 1994, Nr. 110, 206f.]. Hier zeigen die Illustrationen Närrinnen auf Booten. Sie sind Allegorien der «Fünf Sinne», angeleitet von Eva als Ursünderin. Das «Eva»-Boot hat mit Boschs Bild den laubgeschmückten Mast gemeinsam, einen Paradiesbaum mit Schlange. Das «Geschmacks»-Boot («Scapha gustationis stultae») hat mit Boschs Schiff den Wimpel und die ähnliche Bootsform gemeinsam [Scaha gustationis sultae, 1500]. Auch die Gesten der Narren und Närrinnen entsprechen sich, insbesonderewenn man den Holzschnitt spiegelverkehrt betrachtet: Ein närrischer Passagier speist selbstzufrieden, ein anderer, offensichtlich betrunken, legtsich schlafen, eine Närrin verlangt mit erhobener Hand Wein, zwei anderesitzen sich am gedeckten Tisch gegenüber, und in der Mitte erhebt eine Närrin voll Freude ihr Glas. Bosch geht aber über diese Vorlage hinaus und nimmt noch Elemente aus der Maifeier hinzu, die er parodistisch abwandelt. (p. 163)

Hartau, 2002

“Narrenschiffe” um 1500

#729

Ragged poor man from The Pedlar

Mit den «Müßiggängerschiffen» (heißen sie nun «Narrenschiff»,«Leichtschiff», «Schluraffen Schiff», «Sint Reynuut» oder «Blauwe Schuit»)sollen die Müßiggänger satirisiert werden, die sich von der übrigen Gesellschaftabsondern. Das «Narrenschiff» wurde hauptsächlich gegen die Müßiggänger aufgerichtet. Die Passagiere dieser Fahrzeuge streben ein irdisches Paradies an, sie leben ms «Blaue» hinem [Leeber, 1939-1940; Enklaar, 1937, 35-85; Enklaar, 1940, 111], achten Jedoch nicht aufden «gemeinen Nutz» (res publica) und vergessen vor allem das Himmelreich. Sie ahnen nicht, daß die dünne Schale ihres Gefährtes sie nur wenigeZentimeter vom Tode trennt. Ihr sinnliches Treiben 1st Selbstbetrug, da ihr Ende naht. Diese – nach Meinung der Humanisten um 1500 – gottlosen Prasser und Schlemmer segeln ohne Steuer und Kompaß auf dem «Meerder Welt» ihrem sicheren Untergang entgegen. Die «Müßiggängerschiffe» sollen in satirisch-didaktischer Absicht sowohl vor dem persönlichenSchiffbruch wie vor dem «Schiffbruch» der Gemeinschaft und des Staateswarnen. Sie enthalten ein Gleichnis für «jedermann», um sich selbst zu erkennenund Maß zu halten. Diesem Impetus folgt auch Boschs «Narrenschiffo,das zu einem Laster-Triptychon gehört, das vor gefährlicher Armutund übertriebenem Reichtum warnen will. (pp. 167-168)

Hartau, 2002

“Narrenschiffe” um 1500

#773

“Narrenschiff” und “Gula”-Fragment ergeben übereinander die Innenseite eines linken Flügels (hier “Luxuria”-Tafel genannt). Die dazugehörige Innenseite des rechten Flügels bildet der “Tod des Geizigen”. Zu diesen Innentafeln gehört der “Hausierer” in Rotterdam als Außentafel, dafür sprechen das Format, die Malweise und die Holzanalyse… Damit gleicht das neue Triptychon inhaltlich und funktional Boschs “Heuwagen”-Triptychon in Madrid: In beiden Fällen ist ein Hausierer Ausgangspunkt für die Darstellung eines Weltzustandes, der durch Sinnenlust und Habgier gekennzeichnet ist. (p. 182)

Hartau (Suche nach Glück bei nahem Untergang), 2001

Suche nach Glück bei nahem Untergang

#774

Hartau (Suche nach Glück bei nahem Untergang), 2001

Das “Narrenschiff” schildert ein sehr “irdisches Paradies” mit allen Elementen der Ausschweifung und deutlichen Hinweisen auf närrisches und gottloses Treiben. (p. 182)

Suche nach Glück bei nahem Untergang

#855

Pennant with cresent symbol from Ship of Fools

No one could view the Bosch panels without realizing that this indulgence is sinful. But the Louvre panel contains explicit labels that mark the scene as evil. For one thing, the banner fluttering from the tree-mast bears the crescent moon of Islam, no longer associated with turbaned figures in exotic dress but now atop a boat with Christian monastics in the midst of their pleasures. (p. 252)

Silver, 2006