The adoration of the Magi (detail) 1495

This detail comes from Hieronymus Bosch's painting, The Adoration of the Magi. Painted in the Netherlands around 1510, it depicts the three wise men visiting the newborn Christ. But look closer at this background scene and you'll see the world outside the Nativity is far from peaceful. Bandits attack travelers, a scene that unsettles the traditional religious narrative. Bosch, working at a time of social and religious upheaval, uses unsettling imagery to critique the established order. His art reflects the anxieties of a society grappling with rapid change. The painting is not simply a devotional image, but rather a commentary on the moral state of the world. Art historians study such paintings, alongside religious texts, social histories, and economic data, to better understand the complicated relationship between art and society. The true meaning of Bosch’s art lies in understanding its contingent place in the history of the institution of the church itself.