Artwork
The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things
The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Hieronymus Bosch. It dates from 1500 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
The work, titled The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, is an oil painting on wooden panels arranged in a circular format. It consists of a central large circle surrounded by four smaller circles, each containing numerous miniature scenes that illustrate moral and eschatological themes.
Subject & Meaning
The outer quartet of circles represents the traditional Four Last Things—Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell—while the inner circle enumerates the seven deadly sins. The sins appear as everyday activities: wrath, envy, greed, gluttony, sloth, lust (originally depicted as extravagance) and pride, each rendered in a narrative vignette rather than symbolic iconography.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on wood, the composition relies on densely packed, miniature narrative panels that radiate from a central focal point. The central motif, described as the eye of God, contains a “pupil” in which a figure identified as Christ emerges from a tomb, surrounded by Latin inscriptions that reinforce the moralizing intent.
History & Provenance
Attributed either to Hieronymus Bosch or to a close follower, the painting dates to around 1500 or later. Its authenticity has been debated since the late nineteenth century; a 2015 assessment by the Bosch Research Conservation Project favored a follower’s hand, a view rejected by scholars at the Prado, where the work remains displayed in a sealed case.
Context
The piece reflects the late medieval preoccupation with didactic imagery, combining moral instruction with eschatological warning. By integrating scriptural quotations from Deuteronomy alongside visual representations of sin and the afterlife, the work aligns with contemporary devotional practices that used vivid pictorial narratives to educate viewers about spiritual peril.
Artist & collection
Artist
Hieronymus Bosch (; Dutch: ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; c. 1450 – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work,…
