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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis painting is an allegory of worldly vanity by Gillis Mostaert (or his workshop). It is based on The Haywain by Hieronymus Bosch. It depicts all mankind, from the Pope and Emperor on down to peasants and cripples, being obsessed with straw, a metaphor for worthless pursuits. The design satirizes the form of a triumphal procession, with the hay wagon in place of a triumphal chariot. Various sins, violence, and personified Death are also shown. The scene appears within a larger motif, a circular design with a cross. This represents the globus cruciger, ("cross-bearing orb"), a Christian symbol of the world. The painting is held by the Louvre.
Object
Oil on panel
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gandalfsgallery/10489129433/
Public domain
4214 × 3274 px
31d6248193d72d80277dd5522310a22fdf910e91
April 1, 2015
April 20, 2026