The Haywain Triptych, Central Panel by Hieronymus Bosch
Description
The Haywain Triptych, Central Panel by Hieronymus Bosch
Haywain is a triptych panel painting by Hieronymus Bosch, begun in 1485 and completed in 1490. The centre panel measures 140 by 100 cm, and the wings measure 147 by 66 cm. The Haywain triptych exists in two versions, one in El Escorial, the other in the Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. The outside shutters of the triptych are titled The Path of Life. They feature a character who is strikingly similar to The Wayfarer.
The central panel features a massive wagon of hay surrounded by hundreds of figures who partake in a variety of sins, not just the sin of lust exploited in the Garden of Earthly Delights. With the center panel, a divergence from left to right occurs due to Bosch’s incorporation of Christ in the sky, not existent in the Garden. An angel on top of the wagon looks skyward, praying, whereas none of the other figures see Christ looking down on the world. The rightward bow of the figures around the wagon provides the force for the viewer’s eye to move with them on their journey, leading to Hell. The forward kinetic motion of the participants moves the viewer from present-day sin into unadulterated torture in the realms of Hell. The procession on the left side of this panel bends back into the middle ground, but the right side figures continue in a straight line as the wagon, giving the viewer a more evident progress into damnation.[1]
Sunday, November 9th, 2008
