Gillis Mostaert (I): Allegory of Worldly and Spiritual Abuses (1570 - 1580)

 

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

A painting by the Flemish artist Gillis Mostaert the elder (1528 – 1598). This allegory is a variant of a painting by Jheronimus Bosch. In the centre is a large wagon of hay, the symbol of earthly possessions. The people surrounding the wagon are trying to get as much hay as possible and are engaged in a variety of sins. Everyone is subjected to these sins: a pope, cardinals, kings, soldiers, peasants etc. Painting from 1570-1580.