Hieronymus Bosch Biography

Hieronymus Bosch was a Flemish artist of the late Medieval and early Renaissance period, a unique artist whose work was dominated by comically nightmarish images depicting the consequences of human folly. His most famous work is the triptych Garden of Earthly Delights.

Little is known about his early life, although he seems to have come from a family of artists. During his career he somehow managed to have his paintings accepted by churches, despite their content being at turns creepy and silly. Forty years after his death, Philip II of Spain made a concerted effort to collect Bosch’s paintings, furthering the curious relationship between strict Christians and Bosch’s unconventional works.

His triptych Garden of Earthly Delights — perhaps painted around 1500 (Bosch didn’t date his paintings) — is a grand depiction of humanity and includes more than 400 individual scenes and symbols, from the Garden of Eden to Hell. It’s general craziness of tortures and dreams appealed to 20th century artists, and it has sometimes been called a precursor to the surrealists.

Bosch’s other famous works include Table Top of the Seven Deadly Sins, The Last Judgment, The Temptation of St. Anthony and The Haywain.