The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things by Hieronymus Bosch

Where? Room 56a of the Prado Museum
When? Probably around 1500
What do you see? Bosch painted this work on a wooden tabletop. On the outside are four circles with the four things of man, which are the last four stages that the human soul goes through upon death. In the middle is a large circle with scenes of the seven sins. In the center is an image of Christ emerging from his grave with the text ‘Cave cave dns videt’, which means ‘Beware, beware, the Lord sees’. The banderol on the top shows a text from Deuteronomy 32:28 – “They are foolish. They don’t understand. If they were wise, they would understand; they would know what would happen to them.” The banderol at the bottom contains a text from Deuteronomy 32:20 – “I will turn away from them, then let’s see what happens!”.
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The four last things: The last four things are discussed clockwise starting at the left top.

• Death: A man on his deathbed receives the last rites before dying. Unnoticed by the people in the room, behind his bed are a skeleton, a devil, and an angel. The skeleton carries an arrow that points at the dying man. The devil and angel will fight for the soul of the man after he dies. Bosch depicts a similar scene in Death and the Miser.
• Judgment: A scene of the last judgment with similar elements as in The Last Judgment by Michelangelo. Jesus is in the middle, angels are blowing their horns, and death people arise from their graves.
• Heaven: The people that go to Heaven are entering through the Gate of Heaven. At the entrance, an angel prevents a devil from capturing a woman. Jesus and many angels are awaiting the selected ones in Heaven.
• Hell: The people that go to Hell are punished by several devils. There are different punishments for each of the seven sins. For example, the scene at the bottom shows a devil showing a mirror to the woman, shown in the Pride (superbia) scene in the middle of the painting, to show what sin consumed her during her life.

(Click on each of the images below to enlarge them)

Death

Judgment

Heaven

Hell

The seven sins: The sins discussed are discussed clockwise starting at the bottom.

• Wrath (ira): Two peasants holding weapons engage in a brawl before an inn while a woman tries to stop the man on the right. The man on the left has already been hit by a stool and his head is bleeding.
• Envy (invidia): The woman on the left inside the house is already married, but the man to her left is still trying to present her with a rose to seduce her. The poor parents of the girl in the house are looking enviously at the rich man with the falcon outside.
• Greed (avaricia): A court official sits on a bench. He is listening to the case of the man to his left while accepting a bribe from the man to his right. The other two men on the bench see the bribing but do nothing about it.
• Gluttony (gula): The skinny man on the right is drinking excessively and the seated man is eating excessively. They are in a dirty room. The child of the seated man is begging for some food from his fat father and on the left is the server of the inn coming with more food.
• Sloth (accidia): A lazy man is sleeping in a chair during the middle of the day. He ignores his accounting business and also the religious woman on the left. His clothes are old-fashioned for that time, which is another sign of laziness.
• Lust (luxuria): Two lustful, well-dressed couples inside a luxurious tent. On the right are two fools in suggestive poses. Fools are a symbol of lust. Musical instruments and fruit surround the tent.
• Pride (superbia): A woman is admiring herself in a mirror that is held by a devil. The room is filled with expensive items like gold, silver, and ceramics.

(Click on each of the images below to enlarge them)

Wrath

Envy

Greed

Gluttony

Sloth

Lust

Pride

Symbolism: In the center of the large circle with the seven sins is a smaller circle which is interpreted as the eye of God which is looking at us. In the center of the eye is the pupil which contains the scene of Christ arising from the grave. The text below this scene (Beware, beware, God sees) indicates that God sees the seven sins of mankind and that one should not commit those sins. The fact that Bosch painted this work on a tabletop means that this table was meant for a person to reflect on his sins before confessing them to the Church.
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Who is Bosch? Hieronymus Bosch was born around 1450 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, and died in the same city in 1516. He is known for his religious works which often contain imaginative images. His style was unique and has influenced some future artists such as Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Pablo Picasso. Though not much is known about the life of Bosch, he was a high-ranking member of the Brotherhood of Our Lady in his hometown. While his works may sometimes feel like he is mocking the Christian religion, he was a highly religious man who created his works often for equally religious clients. Another example of such a work is Death and the Miser in the National Gallery of Art. The most famous painting by Bosch is The Garden of Earthly Delights which is in the same room as The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things in the Prado.

Death and the Miser by Bosch

The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch

Fun fact: The Prado Museum claims that Hieronymus Bosch created this painting. However, there is some discussion on whether this claim is valid, as others people believe that this painting is created by one of the followers of Bosch. One argument in favor of Bosch is that the painting contains his name, just below the banderol in the bottom center. An argument against Bosch is that there is already documentation in the 16th century that a pupil of Bosch created this painting and that he either added the name of Bosch out of respect for his master or to increase the value of the painting.

The main reason for doubt, though, is that this painting is not very typical for Bosch. The figures in this painting are somewhat unrefined, something that is not the case in the other works attributed to Bosch. Another reasonable explanation is that Bosch painted this work together with his assistants as some scenes are of higher quality than others.

​Interested in a copy for yourself? Poster.

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Written by Eelco Kappe

References:

• Gelfand, Laura D. (2007), “Social Status and Sin: Reading Bosch’s Prado Seven Deadly Sins and Four Last Things Painting,” in The Seven Deadly Sins From Communities to Individuals, Newhauser, Richard (ed.), Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
• Gibson, Walter S. (1973), “Hieronymus Bosch and the Mirror of Man: The Authorship and Iconography of the ‘Tabletop of the Seven Deadly Sins’,” Oud Holland, 87(4), 205-226.
• Silver, Larry (2001), “God in the Details: Bosch and Judgment(s),” The Art Bulletin, 83(4), 626-650.
• www.hieronymusbosch.net