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The Delights of Coudenberg

Paulo Martins Oliveira
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In the Garden of Earthly Delights, Jheronimus Bosch actually addressed different issues, which were carefully encoded and accurately superimposed by means of compromise solutions. Thus, among other issues, the artist satirized the degenerate courtiers in the luxurious gardens of the Palace of Coudenberg (Brussels), that is to say the local Flemish-Dutch elites being defiled in the headquarters of the Habsburg domination. Despite its renovations the site survived as a garden (currently the Parc de Bruxelles/Warandepark). The historical and artistic context is presented elsewhere 1; the following comparative examples illustrate the Palace of Coudenberg and its joyful surroundings, i.e. the elusive Garden of Earthly Delights.

Jheronimus Bosch The Garden of Earthly Delights central panel (1504) Allegorical depiction of the gardens of Coudenberg

1 For more on this issue see the available papers Bosch, the surdo canis, Bosch and the hidden devils of the Garden, The nationalist and rational Jheronimus Bosch, as well as the book Jheronimus Bosch o relojoeiro dos smbolos. 1

Lucas van Valkenborch Landscape in Spring (1587) Allegorical depiction of the gardens of Coudenberg

Other examples

The Garden also alludes to the Palace itself (example)

The following Palaces of Buen Retiro (Madrid) and Versailles

2013

Related writings Original research (2009-13, independent projects: Escriptos; Akenpapers/Akenvis) Papers (until July 2013) Bosch and the hidden devils of the Garden Bosch, the surdo canis Botticellis Primavera: the dual wind Deconstructing Caravaggio and Velzquez Depicting Michelangelo Leonardos Last Supper and the three layers Rembrandt and the art of compromise Reviewing Konrad Witz an ingenious artist of the 15th century The (diabolic) oak of the Rovere Popes The Adoration of the Magi (Botticelli) The Deceptive Angels The Delights of Coudenberg The Devilish Chapel of Michelangelo The Dutch Company The dynamic concept of Sandro Botticelli The L(eonardo) and the S(alai) The Leaves of Caravaggio The nationalist and rational Jheronimus Bosch The Passion of Caravaggio The Sistine Ceiling and the Holy Spirit The Sistine Chapel and the new Jeremiah The Sistine Chapel of Michelangelo: the Law and the Judge A Bno de Rafael (P) A ltima Ceia de Leonardo e as trs camadas (P) As faces de Engelbert (P) O conceito dinmico de Caravaggio (P) O engenho de Matthias Grnewald (P) O falso paraso de Tiziano (P) O mecanismo dos Painis de Avis (P) O nacionalista e racional Jheronimus Bosch (P) Os Demnios de Nuno Gonalves (P) Porqu Jheronimus Bosch? (P) Books Leonardo x Michelangelo The Devils of Art Jheronimus Bosch o relojoeiro dos smbolos Os Demnios de Arte Separata 1 Os Painis de Avis A Janela de Tomar Forthcoming main publications on the symbolic engineering of artworks (15th-17th centuries): Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Titian, Bruegel, Caravaggio, Velzquez, Vermeer (2013-15).