Uncovering the ‘butt song’ in Hieronymus Bosch painting ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’
Most people will recognise Hieronymus Bosch’s mighty triptych painting The Garden of Earthly Delights, a monumental depiction of the beginning of humanity and the subsequent fall of man. The artist, who emerged from the Early Netherlandish school of painting, completed the expansive work between 1490 and 1510, dying just six years after it was completed.
Many regard the painting as one of the most impressive works of art ever made due to the incredible amount of detail within every inch of the canvas. Moreover, the outside of the painting even depicts the Earth during its creation, before humans inhabited it. Within the three panels, Bosch showcases an epic display of creation, pleasure, and damnation. On the left-hand side, Adam and Eve are introduced to the world by God, who stands clothed in a pink robe. Of course, Adam and Eve stand naked, with Adam gazing over at Eve, potentially suggesting the imminent downfall of humans through pleasure-seeking.
Animals surround the pair, some of which have emerged from a pool of water in the corner. Behind them, the world looks like a glorious utopia, with magnificent landscapes framing their introduction to Earth. In the middle panel, things start to get a little strange, with hundreds of naked bodies engaging in pure pleasure and hedonism. You only have to zoom into a random section of this panel to find something bizarre, from people sitting on giant berries to others carrying giant fish and hugging unusually large owls.
The people in the middle section appear to be living carelessly, indulging in eroticism and playfulness. In relation to the right-hand panel, this centrepiece represents humans’ inevitable downfall, portraying excess, lust, sexuality, pride and greed. These humans seem relatively unaware of the dangers of their behaviour, with much of the paradisical imagery from the first panel present in the background.
Destruction, violence, and chaos are present in the right panel, showcasing humans’ entry into Hell. Here, there’s a giant ear sandwiched between a blade, and people squashed against each other. No longer are the bodies eroticised; instead, they appear to be fighting to survive – they are exposed and humiliated, shrouded in darkness and pain. Yet, beady-eyed art historians have noticed a section of sheet music painted on the naked bottom of one unlucky resident of Hell, who appears to be squashed by a musical instrument.
Evidently, music belongs in Bosch’s conception of Hell, perhaps associating it with indulgence. The sheet music seems to have been branded on the naked bottom by some mysterious creature breathing the notes onto the recipient’s body. Of course, curiosity often gets the best of us, and thanks to the power of the internet, a Tumblr user named Amelia Hamrick once shared her rather ominous interpretation of Bosch’s butt composition. It’s just over a minute long and strangely beautiful, despite originating from a naked bottom featured in a classic painting.
She wrote on her blog, “I decided to transcribe it into modern notation, assuming the second line of the staff is C, as is common for chants of this era.” She told The Oklahoman, “I feel like [it] is a pretty funny name, but it’s not the most academic. That’s literally what it is, but in retrospect, I probably should have chosen a little more dignified of a name.”
Listen below.