The Prado Epiphany by Jerome Bosch

Abstract

OF the four large altarpieces by Jerome Bosch which have come down to us in their entirety and as originals, the one with the Epiphany in the Prado Museum (Fig. 1) has the most traditional theological program. Whereas the Hay Wain in the Escorial, the so-called Garden of Delights in the Prado, and the Temptation of St. Anthony in Lisbon are subjects entirely new as a central theme in Christian altar painting, the Adoration of the Magi had often been represented before as the main subject of a large and important altarpiece.