1490), an oil on panel painting in the collection of the Fundación Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid, shows the saint dressed in a vivid red robe slightly obscured by an otherworldly-and somewhat threatening-plant of monumental size. 1485–90) shows the saint clutching a crucifix contorting his body so as to fit within a compact enclosure in the wilderness. The rich colors and the bizarre imagery of The Garden of Earthly Delights (1490–1500) are prefigured by less strange subject matter: Bosch’s early pictures of saints. WIKIMEDIA COMMONSīosch’s iconic style begins to reveal itself in paintings of saints. At this point in his life, Bosch became an artist in his own right, and he was poised to make meaningful connections with influential royal patrons. According to Fischer, Bosch benefited from the funds, land, and status that came with the union, and he established his own workshop soon after the pair married. Scholars are still unsure what, exactly, Bosch was up to between 14, but they do know he married Aleid van der Mervenne, who came from a wealthy family, sometime between 14. It’s possible that the catastrophic incident influenced Bosch’s later works, some of which include blazes raging in their backgrounds.Īs a young man, Bosch married a merchant’s daughter. It is believed that the artist bore witness to this disaster, which was perhaps one of the most devastating events of his early life. On June 13, 1463, a fire raged through ‘s-Hertogenbosch, obliterating Bosch’s childhood home. While very little is known of Bosch’s father’s art practice, Hieronymus is first mentioned in documents as a member of Antonius’s workshop in 1475. According to art historian Stefan Fischer’s 2014 book Hieronymus Bosch: The Complete Works, Johannes built what was considered a “painter dynasty” for his family, affording his children and grandchildren relatively comfortable lives. Known as Jheronimus in his early years, Bosch’s grandfather Johannes Thomaszoon van Aken was among the most prominent painters in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the first half of the 15th century. He was the fourth of five children born to Antonius van Aken and Aleid van der Mynnen.

Hieronymus Bosch was born between 14 in the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. A Passion for Hell: Hieronymus Bosch at Noordbrabants Museum, the Netherlands

Bosch complete works