It is this religious background that Bosch's biographers have often pointed to as the source of his often grotesque and disturbing images, which have often been seen as the origins of surrealism. His best known works include "Tabletop of the Seven Deadly Sins (from about 1490), which features a central circular figure of an all-seeing God (inscribed "Beware God Sees"); "The Ship Of Fools", often seen as inspired by Sebastian Brant's epic poem of the same name , and shows a monk and nuns drinking and carousing with a group of peasants on a boat; "The Last Judgment," a triptych that pictures Paradise with the garden of Eden, Hell and the last judgment itself; "Haywain," another triptych showing Paradise and the monstrous evils of Hell; "The Temptation of St. Anthony," a triptych detailing the travails of the Saint and his success in overcoming multitudes of demons.
But Bosch's best known work is his triptych, "The Garden of Earthly Delights," with its central panel of Hell and its demons - his most famous image. With a central, egg-shell- like "tree man" surrounded by various detailed atrocities and consuming bird-men, it remains one of the most imitated visions of Hell in the history of art as well as one of the most reproduced images. It hangs today , along with much of Bosch's work in the Prado museum in , Madrid, Spain. Along with his paintings of St. Anthony, Bosch also made paintings depicting St. Jerome and the crucifixion of St. Julia. His striking "Christ Carrying the Cross" shows Jesus surrounded by dark and evil looking thieves, peasants and priests with the face of Jesus and (St.) Veronica serene in the melee.
On line, check out Mark Harden's excellent Artchive for Bosch at
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