Video: How Bosch's birds and berries led humanity into grievous temptation
The spirit of the Garden turns out to be less lust and more liquor: a fearsome Iberian aguardiente
A solution to one of the preliminary mysteries of the Garden is here proposed. The giant birds and the giant berries turn out to be connected in an interesting and unexpected way. I think most of the salient points are covered in this 10-minute video, but a couple of extras are noted below.
This theory isn’t to suggest Bosch himself was in any way under the influence of Madronho when he created the triptych. It may be that he never even saw a madronho (his representations of the berry are, to say the least, varied). It may be that he heard tell of it through his country’s Spanish connections, and heard descriptions of the fruit and its effects from travellers’ tales.
Fra José de Siguenza noted the plethora of strawberries and was inclined to call it the Strawberry Painting. Why did he not connect the fruit with the ferocious aguardente? Without any evidence either way – it may be that he, an elevated presence in the royal court, was not particularly aware of a folk liquor, distilled in the back blocks by peasants.
There is a notion that the second man in the cave (lower right of the centre panel) is Noah, the inventor of alcohol. There is no real evidence to support the idea. If it is the case, it may comment on rather than contradict the thesis of the video.
A question: Why do birds revert to normal size above the hedge line of the centre panel? They also lose their ominous demeanour and cheer up considerably. Please percolate on it, and get in touch with any ideas,
Greatly admire your knowledge of Middle Dutch!
Am happy to accept there are multiple meanings and a linguistic underlay to the work – but for me, I’m concentrating on the visible effects for the next -Oo - two years?
You are one of the select few. 36 years ago, I think it was, my partner was traveling in Portugal – before they had motorways and there were donkey carts on the main roads – and she says it wasn't unusual to see a Medronho man in the villages standing at an intersection directing non-existent traffic. That was the unregulated medronho, at over 60+ per cent proof. I'm guessing your bottle was made at a more respectable level.