Intro

There is overwhelming evidence that El Jardín de las Delicias/The Garden of Delights dates from no earlier than 1527 or 1528. The indication of the exact date comes from the artist’s unique and eccentric version of Nahuatl picture writing, and corroboration for the date comes from images relating to at least four topics that have been completely unexplored by art historians in studies of this extremely famous painting:

1. satires directed against Martin Luther
2. Juana la Loca and her son and co-regent of Spain Carlos I (aka Charles V)
3. parodies of some famous artists, including Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael et al.
4. European scholars’ interest in native picture writing in the context of the 1528 trial of Hernán Cortés; or anything pertaining to New Spain/Mexico

A tacit attitude seems to persist among art historians where Hieronymus Bosch paintings can be regarded as easy in the sense that since Bosch died a few years before Martin Luther became prominent, the paintings are still Catholic and medieval. It is not easy to disentangle the reasons why the Bosch paintings were enigmatic in the first place and why they have remained enigmatic in the face of scholarly efforts; for instance what seems like an effect of censorship might sometimes have been an effort to filter information to keep explanations of heresy from reaching Juana la Loca in her seclusion at Tordesillas. What seems like obtuseness with regard to Nahuatl picture writing may have started with Pedro da Gante’s simplified picture catechisms, but it evolves into a set of preferences that have more to do with how Europeans regard European art than with the original hieroglyphics.
It is obvious that the twenty or more paintings and triptychs found in books about Hieronymus Bosch are not all by the same person, and it has been misleading to assume that if they are not all by Hieronymus Bosch, they must be imitations, forgeries, or attempts to rival Hieronymus Bosch. It is more complicated than that. Some are anti-Catholic and some are anti-Protestant, and the artists remained anonymous for different reasons, including but not limited to selling imitations of old paintings.
Changing the name of the artist who painted a famous painting is never easy, and it seems fortunate that El Jardín de las Delicias/The Garden of Delights is already labeled “El Bosco”; perhaps the nickname will still apply to the real artist when and if she or he is identified by name, particularly if (as seems likely) the artist who painted El Jardín de las Delicias/The Garden of Delights was Spanish or at least lived in Spain.
This online project is comprised of five blogs, with this page functioning as an index and a place to look for updates. The plan is to have this intro continue to be at the top of the page, followed by a conventional blog with the newest posting at the top. The postings will consist of consist of short summaries with highlighted links that will make it easy to find pictures and explanations.