Man-eating fish
h. 7 cm. b. 14 cm.
Description
The gruesome hell is depicted on the right panel of the Haywain triptych. Under a bridge, over which the cursed souls meet their fate, a soul is eaten by a fish-like creature. The snake curling around the legs refers to sinful lust.
THE HAYWAIN
Bosch shows us how we mortal souls, arisen from earthly paradise, are on our way to the atrocious ordeal of hell via our dissolute lives on earth. The closed panels show a traveler who follows his road in spite of temptations.
