Book 650
Hieronymus Bosch: The Complete Works
Stefan Fischer
Taschen 2013
Currently, there are only about 25 paintings and eight drawings attributed to Bosch, and that’s it. There are another six or so works thought to come out of his workshop, but as for the artist himself, the total output we know about is roughly 33 pieces. This book, released in a deluxe edition in 2013, represents all of it. Measuring roughly 16” x 12” and housed in its own printed carrying case, this is an outstanding production. It’s printed using two different kinds of paper (matte and glossy), has a glorious extended dust jacket, a silk place marker, a couple of incredible gatefolds (one of which—The Garden of Earthly Delights—is so large that I can only unfold it on the floor), pink endpapers, and hundreds of detail images. Yes, it is large, heavy, and cumbersome, but the reproductions at this size are so worth it. I’m sure visiting the Prado and standing before The Garden is quite an experience, but the scale of the detail images in this volume are their own experience—one that grants the reader all the time in the world to study and marvel at a singular imagination.
