Hiëronymus Bosch, 'Jobtriptiek', Musea Brugge

In 2001 the Rotterdam Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen organised a major exhibition on Hieronymous Bosch. The Groeningemuseum provided two works on loan for the show, the Triptych of the Last Judgement and the lesser-known Triptych of Job. Both works proved to be of great importance to understanding the working methods of Bosch and his immediate followers. The first of these two pieces has since come to be attributed to one of Bosch’s collaborators in his workshop, which was known as “In Sint Thoenis”. The painter, to whom several drawings can be attributed as well, is probably either Johannes (1470-1547) or Anthonis (1478-1516) van Aken, both nephews of Bosch’s.

By contrast, the Triptych of Job provides an exceptional key to understanding the contemporary influence of Hieronymous Bosch. Stylistically, this work is related to the Triptych with the Adoration of the Magi located in the church at Anderlecht, and a triptych on the same theme in the Philadelphia Museum. The three paintings mentioned above show similarities in the manner in which they incorporate motives from various works by Bosch, as well as in the painting technique used. In the Bruges Triptych of Job the imagery on the wings is particularly Bosch-derived. At his workshop, Bosch repeatedly treated the themes of both The Temptation of Saint Anthony and the Penance of Saint Jerome. In particular, the work known as the Hermit Saints Triptych currently in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice can be identified as the original model. Along with the later Triptych with the Temptation of Saint Anthony in Lisbon, it was one of the master’s most widely copied works. The scene on the central panel showing the Trial of Job however is also directly based on Bosch. Although other copies or variations on this theme are known, the Bruges painting is in fact the earliest known copy of a lost masterpiece by Hieronymous Bosch.

The Bruges Triptych of Job was probably commissioned by the Antwerp alderman Jacob van de Voorde († 1520) and his wife Christina van Driele. Their coats of arms appear on the backs of the side panels. The triptych is owned by the Church of Sint-Jacob-de-Meerdere in Hoeke (Damme), but it is not entirely clear how and when the altarpiece entered this church. Since 1931 this painting is in longterm loan at the Groeningemuseum.

Since 2002 the Triptych of Job has undergone thorough study and restoration at the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage. The soiled varnish and a number of layers of subsequent repainting were removed. The magnificent colours are now once again fresh and on the left panel, a cityscape that had been painted over has been revealed. A complete report on the restoration of the triptych is currently in preparation.