The Seven Deadly Sins

This painting by Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450-1516), entitled The Seven Deadly Sins (c.1485), aptly summarizes several key beliefs about sin and salvation in Europe on the eve of the Reformation. The Seven Deadly Sins is a painted rectangle with a central image of the eye of God, with Christ watching the world. The Seven Deadly Sins -- pride, envy, anger, avarice, gluttony, sloth, and lechery -- are depicted through scenes of worldly transgression, arranged around the circular shape. The circular layout represents God's omniscience: no sin goes unnoticed. In the corners of the image appear the "Four Last Things" mentioned in late medieval spiritual handbooks: Deathbed, the Last Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Image source: Prado, Madrid

Detail: The Eye