“This small, unsettling painting thrusts you into a deathbed drama, where an angel and a demon vie for a dying man's soul. It's a vivid glimpse into the moral anxieties and fantastical imagery of the Northern Renaissance.”
In this intense, small panel, a dying man lies in bed, his gaze fixed on a crucifix in his window, while a dramatic struggle unfolds around him. An angel, positioned at the foot of his bed, gestures towards the cross, attempting to guide his soul towards salvation. Simultaneously, a grotesque demon, perched on the canopy, brandishes a tempting coin, pulling the man's attention towards earthly riches. The scene is claustrophobic, with figures pressed close to the bed, emphasizing the spiritual battle for the reprobate's soul. The artist uses a limited palette, focusing on deep reds and shadowy browns, to heighten the somber mood of this critical moment. This painting, created by a follower of Hieronymus Bosch in the second half of the 16th century, captures the macabre and moralizing tone characteristic of Bosch's original works, particularly his depictions of death and damnation.
- Artist
- Hieronymus Bosch
- Date
- 1490
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The demon offering a coin from the bed canopy.
The angel at the foot of the bed, pointing to the crucifix.
The dying man's hand reaching towards a money bag on the floor.
The small, ghoulish figures emerging from the shadows.
1 more detail is waiting.
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Hieronymus Bosch
1450–1516 · Northern Low CountriesHieronymus Bosch, a Dutch painter from the Northern Low Countries, filled his oak panels with fantastic illustrations of religious concepts, from the Garden of Eden to macabre depictions of hell.
Further Works by Bosch
The Garden of Paradise
1495 · Art Institute of Chicago
The Conjurer (The Juggler)
1502
The Adoration of the Magi
Noordbrabants Museum
The Last Judgment
1478 · Art Institute of Chicago
Christ Child with a Walking Frame
1480 · Kunsthistorisches Museum
Crucifixion with a Donor
1485 · Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
St. John on Patmos
1489 · Gemäldegalerie Berlin
St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness
1489 · Lázaro Galdiano Museum
More from Northern Renaissance
More works to explore
Beyond Bosch and Northern Renaissance: works from the same years.
Same era · 1470s–1500s
Portrait of a Musician
Leonardo da Vinci · 1485 · Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
Same era · 1470s–1500s
Jacopo Pesaro, Bishop of Paphos, being presented by Pope Alexander VI to Saint Peter
Titian · 1504 · Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
Same era · 1470s–1500s
Marriage of Mary and Joseph
Master of the View of Saint Gudula · 1480 · Munich Central Collecting Point
Same era · 1470s–1500s
Self-portrait, Study of a Hand and a Pillow (recto); Six Studies of Pillows (verso)
Albrecht Dürer · 1493 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1470s–1500s
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints John the Baptist and Sebastian
Pietro Perugino · 1493 · Uffizi Gallery
Same era · 1470s–1500s
Plate with arms of the Tosinghi family
Artist Unknown - The Mercat Cross, Aberdeen · 1495 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1470s–1500s
Adoration of the Christ Child
Workshop of Andrea della Robbia · 1479 · Art Institute of Chicago