The Secret Heresy of Hieronymus BoschThe bizarre and fantastic paintings of the Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch have puzzled and intrigued their viewers for centuries. Following years of researches that have taken her to every corner of Europe, Lynda Harris offers surprising new insights into Bosch's detailed and cryptic visual fantasies. Drawing on a wide variety of new sources, she deciphers Bosch's symbolism as the hidden expression of his heretical religious beliefs. She argues that Bosch belonged to the Cathar faith, a Manichean religious heresy that was persecuted and driven underground by the Catholic church in the Middle Ages. This copiously illustrated study reveals that while Bosch was carrying out commissions for his wealthy Catholic patrons, he was all the while coding his own inner heretical convictions in the hidden meanings in his paintings, as a record for posterity of the beliefs of his threatened religious sect. |
Contents
List of illustrations | 8 |
Acknowledgments | 15 |
The Historical Background | 23 |
Copyright | |
21 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
anthropomorphic baptism birds Bogomil Book Allberry 1938 Bosch depicts Bosch's painting Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnian Church Bozóky Brand Philip Cathar point Cathar Secret Book Cathars and Manicheans Cathars believed central panel Chapter Christ column of glory Consolamentum conventional Christian Coptic Manichean psalms corrupt cosmic cross darkness demons detail devils doctrines dualistic Duvernoy earth Earthly Delights entrapment evil example fifteenth century Figure fountain Garden of Earthly Giorgione Gnostic Haywain hell heresy heretics Hieronymus Bosch holy human iconography identified images Inquisition Jesus Land of Light Languedoc Last Judgment left wing Lisbon St Anthony look Magi Manichean Manicheism Marriage at Cana medieval Messalians Montségur oil on panel outer wing paradise Patarenes physical world Plate Prado Adoration Psalm Book Allberry religion represents Rotterdam s-Hertogenbosch Satan Satan's world Saviour Scandella scene seen soul's souls spiritual baptism stećci symbols Tabletop third heaven Tolnay tombstones traditional Christian triptych tryptich Turfan Venice Wakefield and Evans Widengren