Firmament Gaze

Lore & Background

Twentieth-century art historians are divided as to whether the triptych's central panel is a moral warning or a panorama of the paradise lost. He painted three large triptychs (the others are The Last Judgment of c. 1482 and The Haywain Triptych of c. 1516) that can be read from left to right and in which each panel was essential to the meaning of the whole. Each of these three works presents distinct yet linked themes addressing history and faith. Triptychs from this period were generally intended to be read sequentially, the left and right panels often portraying Eden and the Last Judgment respectively, while the main subject was contained in the centerpiece. It is not known whether The Garden was intended as an altarpiece, but the general view is that the extreme subject matter of the inner center and right panels make it unlikely that it was planned for a church or monastery. It has been housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain since 1939.

In Their Own Story

When the triptych's wings are closed, the design of the outer panels becomes visible. Rendered in a green–gray grisaille, these panels lack colour, probably because most Netherlandish triptychs were thus painted, but possibly indicating that the painting reflects a time before the creation of the sun and moon, which were formed, according to Christian theology, to 'give light to the earth'. The typical grisaille blandness of Netherlandish altarpieces served to highlight the splendid color inside. The outer panels are generally thought to depict the creation of the world, showing greenery beginning to clothe the still-pristine Earth. God, wearing a crown similar to a papal tiara (a common convention in Netherlandish painting), is visible as a tiny figure at the upper left. Bosch shows God as the father sitting with a Bible on his lap, creating the Earth in a passive manner by divine fiat. Above him is inscribed a quote from Psalm 33:9 reading 'Ipse dīxit, et facta sunt: ipse mandāvit, et creāta sunt'—For he spoke and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. There is a firmament around the Earth, in reference to Genesis 1:7. It hangs suspended in the cosmos, which is shown as an impermeable darkness, whose only other inhabitant is God himself. Despite the presence of vegetation, the earth does not yet contain human or animal life, indicating that the scene represents the events of the biblical Third Day. Bosch renders the plant life in an unusual fashion, using uniformly gray tints, which make it difficult to determine whether the subjects are purely vegetal or perhaps include some mineral formations. Surrounding the interior of the globe is the sea, partially illuminated by beams of light shining through clouds. The exterior wings have a clear position within the sequential narrative of the work as a whole. They show an unpopulated earth composed solely of rock and plants, contrasting sharply with the inner central panel, which contains an Earth teeming with lustful humanity.

Reader's Guide

Bosch may have intended the outer panels to establish a Biblical setting for the inner elements of the work, and the exterior image is generally interpreted as set in an earlier time than those in the interior. As with Bosch's Haywain Triptych, the inner centerpiece is flanked by heavenly and hellish imagery. The scenes depicted in the triptych are thought to follow a chronological order: flowing from left to right, they represent Eden, the garden of earthly delights, and Hell. God appears as the creator of humanity in the left-hand wing, while the consequences of humanity's failure to follow his will are shown in the right. In contrast to Bosch's two other extant triptychs, The Last Judgment (around 1482) and The Haywain (after 1510), God is absent from the central panel. Instead, this panel shows humanity acting with apparent free will as naked men and women engage in various pleasure-seeking activities. According to some interpretations, the right-hand panel is believed to show God's penalties in a hellscape. Art historian Charles de Tolnay believed that, through the seductive gaze of Adam, the left panel already shows God's waning influence upon the newly created earth. This view is reinforced by the rendering of God in the outer panels as a tiny figure in comparison to the immensity of the earth. According to Hans Belting, the three inner panels seek to broadly convey the Old Testament notion that, before the Fall, there was no defined boundary between good and evil; humanity in its innocence was unaware of consequence.

Did You Know?

• The outer panels are rendered in a green–gray grisaille, lacking colour, probably because most Netherlandish triptychs were thus painted.
• Above God on the outer panels is inscribed a quote from Psalm 33:9: 'Ipse dīxit, et facta sunt: ipse mandāvit, et creāta sunt'.
• The triptych has been housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain since 1939.
• The left panel is sometimes known as the 'Joining of Adam and Eve' and depicts the moment when God presents Eve to Adam.
• The center panel shares a common horizon with the left wing, suggesting a spatial connection between the two scenes.