“Death of a Whore” is an oil painting on panel created by Hieronymus Bosch circa 1490 – circa 1510. This religious painting, associated with the Northern Renaissance art movement, resides in a private collection.
The artwork presents a nightmarish scene filled with dark, grotesque imagery. Central to the piece is a bed surrounded by starkly characterized demonic figures, their exaggerated features and positions suggesting an eerie aura of menace and torment. A pale figure, presumably the titular whore, occupies the bed while appearing to writhe in a state of distress. Surrounding this central tableau are various demonic and surreal elements, including an array of strange, mythological creatures, humanoid hybrids, and figures engaged in bizarre activities. The composition is marked by Bosch’s characteristic intricacy and the unsettling juxtaposition of the mundane with the fantastical, conveying themes of sin, moral decay, and the macabre consequences of a life of vice.