The Haywain Triptych

Описание: The Haywain Triptych

Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516)
c. 1510–1516, Oil on oak panel

A massive hay wagon, drawn by infernal beings, slowly creeps toward Hell as crowds of humanity desperately climb and fight to seize handfuls of golden hay. An angel atop the wagon looks to the sky in prayer, but none of the frenzied figures below notice Christ watching from above.

The central panel portrays a haywain being pulled by demonic creatures in a chaotic and nightmarish landscape. Surrounding the haywain are numerous individuals who seem oblivious to the wickedness engulfing them. The hay symbolizes worldly goods and fleeting earthly pleasures a reference to the Flemish proverb "The world is a haystack; everyone takes what he can grab."
The chaotic rabble around the wagon displays all seven deadly sins: greed is dominant, together with lust, wrath, envy, gluttony, pride, and sloth. To the left of the haywain, the emperor, Pope, king, and a duke ride their horses, attended by nobility and a dense crowd of courtiers proof that no social class escapes corruption.

From left to right, the panels depict God creating Eve from Adam's rib, earthly humans engaging in all types of sins, and the journey into Hell. In the underdrawing, Bosch depicted a cross behind the bridge which he eliminated in the final stage, replacing it with a crucifix in a small altar yet every figure has its back to it. All of them have forgotten God.

The pigment analysis reveals a limited palette consisting of cheaper pigments employed in the Renaissance period, such as azurite, lead-tin yellow, vermilion, carmine kermes, and ochres. This restrained palette creates an earthy, somber atmosphere that reinforces the moral gravity of the scene.

Dendrochronological evidence suggests that its oak panels date from the year of the artist's death, 1516, making this possibly Bosch's final completed masterpiece a culminating statement on human folly and the inevitable journey toward damnation for those who chase worldly vanities.

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