The Cure of Folly by Hieronymus Bosch (Interpretation and Analysis)

The Cure of Folly
Source: Museo del Prado

Yesterday, I introduced the topic of Hieronymus Bosch in my post about his Triptych of the Temptation of Saint Anthony. Bosch is perhaps one of the most interesting painters of the Northern Renaissance period. I wrote a fairly lengthy piece about Bosch’s work, but his oeuvre is very rich and complex, so I thought I’d bring you another one of his paintings.

The Cure of Folly is probably my favorite Bosch piece, largely because it’s just so strange. The painting depicts a man wearing a metal funnel on his head who is busily engaged in cutting something (the so-called stone of madness) out of another man’s head. Two other figures look on, including a woman with a book balanced on her head who is thought to represent folly.

This scene has been the subject of art historical debate for many years, and the long and the short of it is that no one knows exactly what this painting is supposed to represent. However, everyone seems to agree that the painting represents some sort of satirical statement. As the inscription on the painting explains, the character having the stone removed is a well known comical character in Dutch literature. The man performing the operation is a charlatan, as is indicated by his funnel shaped headgear. As my research indicates, fifteenth century viewers would have understood that the idea of removing the stone of madness was indeed quackery of the highest degree; only an incredibly gullible person would ever consent to such a thing.

Thus, everybody in the painting is engaged in folly to one degree or another. Bosch’s painting condemns their foolishness and generally criticizes the blatant stupidity that is on display here. It is probable that the piece was designed to be some sort of visual joke, and the Prado Museum (which owns the painting) even suggests that the joke may be sexual in nature.

However, I think the underlying message is what truly resonates here. Although Bosch probably did not intend this interpretation, the painting suggests that the essential nature of a person’s character cannot be changed. The charlatan in the painting has convinced the man having the operation that the stone must be removed; however, the viewer understands that the stone itself is imaginary. This suggests that the man’s maladies are either imaginary as well or are part of his essential nature, a tincture of “madness” that he will always have to live with. The stone of madness is a myth, and therefore the supposed madness will always be with the man in the painting. Thus, there is no cure for folly; the treatment itself is worse than the supposed malady, making the cure itself a folly. As the French philosopher Michel Foucault notes in his History of Madness:

"Bosch's famous doctor is far more insane than the patient he is attempting to cure, and his false knowledge does nothing more than reveal the worst excesses of a madness immediately apparent to all but himself."

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.