Garden of Earthly Delights

Back to Hieronymus Bosch paintings

Tags: tryptich - allegory - adam - eve - hell

Garden of Earthly Delights

1510

by Hieronymus Bosch

The central panel to us has an air of innocence, the gentle lovemaking, naked young people creating a mood of joy. To Bosch, with his medieval mind, this world was brimming with symbols of sin. A few examples of this are the water birds, fish, and ripe strawberries that signify lewdness and lust.

The left panel represents evil invading the world. The creation of man; Adam and Eve are represented here.

In the right wing we are shown a vision of hell. The flames, demons, and complete horror invade this space giving tangible shape to the fears that haunted humankind throughout the Middle Ages.