Hieronymus Bosch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hieronymus Bosch - Essay Example Nobody knows exactly when he was born, because his birth was never documented. He was the fourth child in a family of five and was born immediately into a family of painters (â€Å"Bosch† 8). His great-grandfather (Thomas van Aken), grandfather (Jan van Aken) and father (Anthonis van Aken), his brother Goessen and at least three of his uncles were painters. The workshop of the Van Aken family was first on The Vughterstraat in Den Bosch, later they moved the workshop to De Markt, the market (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). Family Almost nothing is known about the youth of Hieronymus Bosch. Suspected is that he studied and worked in the atelier of his father (DK Publishing 9). The only facts that did surface about his personal life were found in official documents and reports of the city of Den Bosch. In 1478, Hieronymus’ father died and he and his brother Goossen took over the workshop (DK Publishing 8). This atelier was located in â€Å"In Sint Thoenis†, a building his father had bought in 1462, on the eastside of the Markt in Den Bosch. On January 3rd 1481, Hieronymus renounced his part of the parental house, what he left to his brother Goossen, after his brother Jan and sister Herbertke had done the same. On June 15th 1481, Hieronymus got married to Aleid van de Meervenne. He married above his class and improved his financial status. Due to this marriage, he probably got possession of the building â€Å"Inden Salvatoer†, which is located on the northside of the Markt, where he developed a new workshop. The marriage stayed childless (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). The Naming of the Master Painter As from 1490, Hieronymus signed his work with ‘Jheronimus Bosch’ and in 1504 he was mentioned in the accounts of the city of Den Bosch under the name of ‘Jeronimus Van Aeken’. In 1510, he was mentioned as ‘Jheronimus van Aken, who calls himself Jheronimus Bosch’ (Bosing 14). This could indicate that Hiero nymus was also known outside of Den Bosch, or that he lived outside for a while. Remarkable is that he was called a ‘master’ only after his death, although his brother was called a master long before. Religious Life Just like his father and grandfather, Hieronymus became a member of the â€Å"Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady† in 1486 and became a ‘sworn member’ in 1488 (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). With this membership, Hieronymus entered the social elite of the city. Several other members of the brotherhood were Jan Heyns, the architect of the Saint John’s Cathedral, and Pieter van Os, secretary of the city (Verbeek 193). Through his new friendships, Hieronymus received several orders, such as the designing of the two altar-wings for the chapel of the Saint John’s Cathedral and the design of a stained glass window for the chapel of the Illustrious Brotherhood (Bosing 14). The members of the Brotherhood were mainly clergymen and scholars. Not only was the Brotherhood a potential client for Hieronymus, also the separate members could act as clients. The influence of the Brotherhood was probably very large on het life of Hieronymus. At least he met many other artists, from inside and outside the city, like the architect Alart Duhamel and sculptor Adriaan van Wesel (Van Dijck 53). Hieronymus was also said to be a member of a sect, the â€Å"Brethren of the Free Spirits†, also known as the â€Å"Adamnites†