![]() ![]() The owl that Bosch chose, in other words, is the one which was " looked upon with great favor in Athens as well as the rest of the ancient world." The owl, he advises us, " symbolizes the mystery of the shadows of the night." While the owl itself is, overall, considered a creature of ill omen in traditional folklore, the one that, according to Charbonneau-Lassy, inspire's sympathy is the chevechette, the pygmy owl, who accompanies the late traveler along country roads. To understand what he was getting at, we need to refer to a classic work on animal symbolism in European art, the Bestiary of Christ, by Louis Charbonneau-Lassay. If an owl is lacking in a Bosch painting, that, too, means something. While the owls, considered on the whole, are a lighthearted touch, this particular symbol is not just a little jest for the viewer to enjoy, and was chosen quite intentionally by Bosch. Uncumber, they even appear embroidered on garments: In addition to their marginalized presence in so many of the works, they convey a touch of sensitivity, intimacy, and humor - as though their tiny presence somehow supervised the goings-on in the paintings. Why, we might ask, all the owls? They seem very nearly frivolous afterthoughts, working as they do in the dark places, windows, tree branches, and margins of the paintings. Because it preys on vermin, it would also carry positive connotations: The pygmy owl above is, unusually, one of two owls in this painting (see below.) The fact that it is partially concealed alludes, as it does in all cases, to a hidden wisdom.Īnother owl that crops up in several paintings is the barn owl, another owl that would have been well familiar to rural late Middle Ages and early Renaissance households. The "signature" owls in Bosch paintings are generally hidden, and difficult to spot. Museum Boijmans van Beunigen, Rotterdam, Netherlands This owl is almost without a doubt the European or Eurasian pygmy owl. The owl that Bosch most consistently paints is a diminutive spotted owl. ![]() They are not in all the paintings but, I believe, they have a specific significance. Hieronymus Bosch included tiny owls in most of his paintings. Pygmy Owl from The Garden of Earthly Delights ![]()
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