Hieronymus Bosch

Born Jheronimus van Aken around 1450 in 's-Hertogenbosch, he spent most of his life in that Dutch town, working in oil on oak and turning religious narratives into fever dreams. Within his lifetime collectors in the Netherlands, Austria, and Spain sought his work, and his macabre hells were widely copied. He cast a long shadow over northern art - Pieter Bruegel the Elder followed closest - but his original, fantastical style stood alone. Little survives of the man himself: some records, about 25 confidently attributed paintings, eight drawings, and a handful more from his workshop. The three triptych altarpieces, especially The Garden of Earthly Delights, remain his summit. He died on 9 August 1516, leaving behind images of human desire and terror no one has entirely explained.