A bird-monster devouring sinners, naked bodies in tantric contortions, a pair of ears brandishing a sharpened blade: with nightmarish details and fantastical painterly schemes, Netherlandish visionary Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516) secured his place as an art historical magnet. Five hundred years on from his death, his extraordinary works continue to enthrall scholars, artists, designers, and musicians.

This large-scale TASCHEN monograph presents the complete Bosch oeuvre, celebrating the artist’s staggering compositional scope and most bizarre and intricate details through full-page reproductions, abundant details, and a fold-out spread drawn from The Last Judgement. With guidance from art historian and Bosch expert Stefan Fischer, we explore the many compelling elements that populate each scene, from hybrid creatures of man and beast, to painterly assaults on the body, and a pictorial use of proverbs and idioms. Particular attention is given to Bosch’s most famous work, the mesmerizing, terrifying triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Stefan Fischer studied art history, history, and classical archaeology in Münster, Amsterdam, and Bonn. In 2009 he completed his doctoral thesis “Hieronymus Bosch: Malerei als Vision, Lehrbild und Kunstwerk.” His specialist fields are Netherlandish painting of the 15th to the 17th centuries and museology.