Fake 82

Yesterday to Petworth, where we chanced across a curious painting by Hieronymus Bosch called 'The Adoration of the Magi'. Slightly puzzled that there was no protective glass and no buzzers when one got what some galleries would regard as inappropriately up close and personal to this 500 year old painting.

Checking up later, I find that the original is in the Prado in Madrid and that it was a popular painting which was the subject of a lot of near contemporary copies, of which the present painting is one. See references 1, 2 and 3.

We had been puzzled by the chap emerging from the shed in a state of undress, but it seems that he may be the Anti-Christ, who had not liked to miss this important event in the life of our Lord. As luck would have it, Google also turned up a learned tome (reference 4) and I shall be reading all about the Anti-Christ and all the other curious details of this painting.

PS: the illustration has been taken from reference 2. The Petworth copy is just of the lower two thirds of the central panel, more or less full size.

Reference 1: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth-house-and-park/features/the-bosch-project-at-petworth.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoration_of_the_Magi_(Bosch,_Madrid).

Reference 3: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_Adoration_of_the_Magi_by_Hieronymus_Bosch.

Reference 4: From Bosch’s Stable: Hieronymus Bosch and the Adoration of the Magi - Matthijs Ilsink, Jos Koldeweij, Ron Spronk - 2018.