# Art: Hieromymus Bosch's symbolism (Updated)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-hieromymus-boschs-symbolism-updated/34789>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 27, 2000, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-hieromymus-boschs-symbolism-updated/34789 "2000-09-27T18:55:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tina33549](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@Tina33549](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tina33549)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-hieromymus-boschs-symbolism-updated/34789/1 "2000-09-27T18:55:01Z")

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Ok. I have all the information now! Here goes:

The artist is Hieromymus Bosch. The work is The Garden of Earthly Delights. And the subject is the cherry(ies) sometimes found on peoples’ heads, not anywhere else or any other fruit. What does this mean? I understand that there is a lot of fruit in the painting, but I just want to know what the cherry found on the head means?

Thanks for your input!

Tina

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-hieromymus-boschs-symbolism-updated/34789/2 "2000-09-27T19:03:37Z")

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Easy answer: I don’t know

Longer answer: Why discriminate on placement of the “cherries” (Side note: They’re red and they’re round, but it’s not clear to me that they’re cherres. They don’t really LOOK like cherres to me.)? One of the women in the pool places a cherry on another woman’s butt. The upside-down guy has a “cherry” in his crotch. Does a crotch cherry measn something different than a head cherry? I suspect it doesn’t work that way. My suspicion is that all such fruit suggeasts a sensual indulgence, but I wouldn’t read more into it than that. And I sure as heck don’t know if the painting is condemning or celebrating this!

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**Author:** ![mellonhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@mellonhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mellonhead)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-hieromymus-boschs-symbolism-updated/34789/3 "2000-09-27T22:42:18Z")

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If I remember correctly there is a guy in the painting bent over with a bouquet of flowers stuck in his ass - I think perhaps contemplating any of the botanical matter in the piece is just asking for trouble 😉

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**Author:** ![Soupy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Soupy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soupy)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2000, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-hieromymus-boschs-symbolism-updated/34789/4 "2000-09-29T01:44:54Z")

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Most of his works have been analyzed in detail, but unfortunately good art books are not in high-volume print runs, so they end stuck in art museum libraries rather than public libraries.

If you find where the picture is hanging, they may have descriptions of it lying around for the asking.

If not, check with a university art department library. I’ve found a lot of things that way, including pictures of minor works and sketches of famous painters.

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**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-hieromymus-boschs-symbolism-updated/34789/5 "2000-09-29T02:55:28Z")

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Hehehe…All of my encounters with that painting were to illustrate that we just don’t get the medieval mindset. Good luck!