Hieronymus Bosch: Medeival Connotations, the Owl and Toad
Summary:
Hieronymus Bosch's work contains both surrealistic and medieval imagery such as the owl and the toad. Hieronymus Bosch repeatedly painted the owl and toad as symbols of religious condemnation and the mentality of the medieval time with varying connotations. The symbols give the viewer an idea of the superstitious medieval mentality as well as the influence of religion while allowing their connotations to change in each piece.
Medieval and Religious Connotations: the Owl and the Toad in Bosch's Work
Jeroen Athoniszoon van Aken was born around 1450 in the town of Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. He would eventually be known as Hieronymus Bosch, a title derived from the name of the town where he lived and painted. Most historians believe he spent the majority of his life in Hertogenbosch, but there is some speculation that he spent a period of time in Vienna. Bosch painted religious themes and was at times branded as a heretic. He was often commissioned to paint elaborate triptychs, such as his most famous work, the Garden of Earthly Delights, which was well received in the court of Phillip II. Along with religious themes, Bosch's work also contains both surrealistic and medieval imagery such as the owl and the toad. Hieronymus Bosch repeatedly painted the owl and toad as symbols of religious condemnation and the mentality of the medieval time with varying connotations.
A piece that gives voice to the biblical teaching of the time is Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. This elaborate triptych depicts Adam and Eve in the left panel, a garden of earthly pleasures in the middle, and burning chaos in the right panel. In the Garden of Earthly Delights, as well as in his other paintings, Bosch created a world filled with mythical creatures and fantastic monsters. His work is a look into what would later be echoed in the surrealist movement. Bosch took items from everyday life and warped them into something frightening and symbolic of the emotions he was trying to convey. He blended men with trees, animals, and birds, afflicting them with demons of an unimaginable variety. However, the owl and toad are also present. These two animals appear commonly in nature today, but many superstitions surrounded them during Bosch's life.
In medieval times, religion and superstition reigned supreme. Everyone was terrified of the devil and twisted anything they could into a vessel for his evil deeds. Even the wise and logical Greek beliefs were thrown away in place of common terror and popular thought. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, is often shown with an owl. In Bosch's paintings, the owl is found with both negative and positive connotations, described by Wilhelm Fraenger in BOSCH as "knowing good and evil" (44). In a detail of Saint Jerome In Penitence, an owl perched on a branch above the Saint is a wise companion. The Ship of Fools however, shows an ominous owl above the boat peering from between leaves and predicting ill fortune. Owls are easy to spot in most of Bosch's paintings, but the story of each painting has to be understood for the meaning of the owl to be clear.
A more easily interpreted symbol of medieval beliefs is the toad. In the middle ages, toads were thought to be poisonous. J. Koldweij, B.Vermet and B. van Koolj explain in Hieronymus Bosch New Insights Into His Life and Work that their blood was considered to be "so toxic that it could be used as a murder weapon" (145), and they were often thrown into the same life-threatening category as snakes. A toad was an instrument of the devil to be avoided at all costs. In Bosch's paintings, when a toad is seen, it points to sin and impurity. Such evidence is in a detail of The Hay Wain, where the toad covering the genital area of a nude woman shows her lustful nature. A woman with the same virtues is found in the right panel of the Garden of Earthly Delights with a toad resting on her breast. Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights shows multiple occurrences of this same sin. As described by Peter S. Beagle in The Garden of Earthly Delights, "Lust is literally the Garden's central transgression" (84). Toads represent the will of the devil in many of Bosch's paintings.
Toads are shown as servants of Satan in Bosch's Temptation of Saint Anthony. Saint Anthony is carried away on the stomach of a winged toad while other monsters fly at his side. In the center panel of the Temptation of Saint Anthony triptych, an overgrown toad is surrounded by sin. While the pious saint prays and resists temptation, toads surround him. The demons and
monsters that Bosch depicted may have come from the belief that the devil himself created hybrid monsters with the use of many species. J. Koldeweij, B. Vermet, and B. van Kooij state in Hieronymus Bosch New Insights Into His Life and Work that ."..the devils used unclean creatures to create their own imperfect creatures. The toad was eminently suited to this purpose" (147). This stigma that attached itself to the toad during this time period is represented in many of Bosch's paintings, where toads represent the will of the devil. Superstition and obsession with avoiding evil were large parts of religion.
Christianity was the dominant religion of the medieval time period. The Jews were often blamed for the death of Christ, and it is theorized that they are shown in Bosch's paintings as evil. Toads are also found in The Bible as a punishment in the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7:27-29; 8:1-10). Toads are characterized as unclean (Leviticus 11:29), and are, again, thrown into the same themes as snakes. The work of Shakespeare shows that later in time, toads were given slightly more consideration. In As You Like It he wrote, "Sweet are the uses of adversity, which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in its head" (2.1.12-14) which provides both the negative medieval connotations of the toad as well as some room for it to possess redeeming qualities. Rational thought redefines religious symbols as time progresses, but for the purpose of viewing Bosch's work, it is necessary to understand the previous connotations.
The time period in which artists live is always apparent in their work. Hieronymus Bosch lived in a time of God and superstition. He took symbols that were common in his lifetime and integrated them into a surreal atmosphere with the use of religious figures, humans, animals, and monsters. Two of his most used symbols were the owl and toad. These two creatures appear repeatedly in his work, adding a different element to each piece. The symbols give the viewer an idea of the superstitious medieval mentality as well as the influence of religion while allowing their connotations to change in each piece.
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