7 deadly sins picture. Description of the painting by Hieronymus Bosch “The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things”

"The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things"
Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1460 -1516)

The Seven Deadly Sins is one of the earliest famous works Bosch. It has a pronounced moralizing character with elements of irony and satire.

Hieronymus Bosch. The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, 1475-1480
Board, oil. 120×150 cm.Prado, Madrid

This work has a rather complicated structure: five circles of different diameters on dark background. It is believed that this is a table top - a tabletop painted by a master. The custom of painting tables was quite widespread at that time. Famous artists did not disdain such work. We know, for example, that the earliest work of the great German Hans Holbein the Younger that has come down to us was a painted table top, very damaged, but preserved.

It was this work by Bosch that hung in the personal chambers of the Spanish King Philip II. It was located between his office and his bedroom, so that, walking from room to room several times a day, the monarch could contemplate the symbols of human sins and reflect on the sinful nature of man.

This is one of Bosch's most clear and moralizing works, and is equipped with detailed quotes from the Old Testament from the book of Deuteronomy that explain the meaning of what is depicted.
The words inscribed on the fluttering scrolls:
above:
"For they are a people who have lost their minds, and there is no sense in them
“Oh, if only they would understand, think about this, understand what will happen to them!” (Deut. 32:28-29);

Jheronimus Bosch Table of the Mortal Sins (top description).

Bottom:
“I will hide My face from them, and I will see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children in whom there is no faithfulness. (Deut. 32:20)
determine the theme of this work.

Jheronimus Bosch Table of the Mortal Sins (bottom inscription).

In the center is something like an all-seeing eye. In the middle there is a semblance of a pupil, in which Christ is depicted up to his hips, standing in a sarcophagus. Christ sees everything, he is at the center of the world, he is at the center of this conventionally depicted eye.
Below is the inscription: “Beware, beware, God sees everything.”

Jesus Christ
Table of the Mortal Sins.

This is not the eye itself, but a clear hint of it. The all-seeing eye sees everything, but for inscrutable reasons incomprehensible to us, it does not interfere in the course of things. The torment of Christ - the promise of humanity - turns out to be almost in vain. He points to his wound in his side, he is in Once again appeals to people, but this appeal turns out to be almost unheard.
The wide stripe running around this quasi-pupil resembles the iris. The circle is lined with rays, which at the same time somewhat resemble the pattern of an iris.

And finally, on the outer, widest stripe there are seven scenes that symbolize the seven deadly sins. Each sin is indicated by an inscription and interpreted by the artist in the form of a genre scene.
Thus, Bosch creates a generalized picture of humanity mired in sins. It is interesting to pay attention to this: we traditionally talk about seven sins, although strictly speaking, these are not sins, like actions - theft, murder or other sinful acts of a person. The seven deadly sins in the Catholic tradition are, rather, seven properties of a person, seven character traits that lead to these crimes and misdeeds. Traditionally, as you know, seven sins are opposed by seven virtues. Three religious Christian virtues, four secular ones. Bosch, depicting sins, does not resort to abstract images. In Bosch these are scenes that are quite life-like in meaning, but grotesque, caricatured in the manner of depiction.

Next comes the inscription - a representation of the seven deadly sins that can destroy the soul, with their Latin names:
In Hieronymus Bosch, if you “read”, according to the composition, from “six o’clock” counterclockwise:

ANGER, VANITY (pride), LUST (lust), LAZINESS, Gluttony, GREED (greed), ENVY.
The artist finds something understandable for each of them, life example, shown mockingly.

Anger
Table of the Mortal Sins.

1. Right in front of you is a scene of jealousy, a fight depicting ANGER.
There is a fight on the green lawn in front of the hotel. A man in an unusual headdress for that time threw his cloak and attacked the woman. The second (possibly a rival) put a table on his head like a helmet, also took out a knife and prepared to stand up for her.
An overturned table, a hat on the floor, a jug in the woman’s hands indicate that these people have drunk a lot, and this is not the beginning of a quarrel.

Pride
Table of the Mortal Sins.

2. Here we see a scene showing PRIDE A woman admires herself, looking in a mirror held by a demon. The mirror is often used by Bosch to show the pride and vanity that the demon inspires.

Lust
Table of the Mortal Sins.

3. In the center is a scene showing voluptuousness, lust. In the tent there are two loving couples engaged in foreplay full expression passions. They are entertained by clowns nearby musical instruments.
From the time of early Christianity The church fathers in every possible way denounced the “indecent dances and body movements”, “low and shameless songs” of idle amusements. They branded traveling actors and actresses as “children of Satan” and “Babylonian harlots” - immoral, dissolute people, excited by the “demon of fornication.” In connection with immoral music, Hieronymus Bosch also castigated debauchery, raising the sinfulness of earthly existence to the absolute level. In his paintings, musical instruments are a symbol of lust.
(it’s hard for us today to understand)

Dejection
Table of the Mortal Sins

4. LAZY (despondency)
A woman who comes to a priest (or a nun) tries to encourage him to fulfill his duties, which he forgot about (either by falling asleep or indulging in dreams)

Gluttony
Table of the Mortal Sins.

5. The scene speaks of gluttony and gluttony. Disheveled, fat man eats and cannot get enough. A child asking for food, a thin person who is not invited to the table, the poor furnishings of the room say: gluttony leads to poverty and selfishness.

Greed
Table of the Mortal Sins.

6. The sixth deadly sin is GREED, GREED. Bosch shows as a deputy sheriff whose decision depends on a bribe.

Envy
Table of the Mortal Sins.

7. ENVY is depicted by an elderly couple looking enviously at their neighbor with a rare and expensive bird. And another passer-by looks with envy at another “bird” - their daughter, a beauty and assistant, whose value her parents have forgotten.
The dogs express the Flemish proverb: "Two dogs with the same bone rarely agree."

The artist reminds people immersed in the daily bustle of habitual, everyday sins, repeated over and over again, that evil is inevitably followed by retribution.

The four corners of the picture are decorated with scenes of the “four last things” (as the preachers of that time put it):
Death, Last Judgment, Hell and Heaven's Gate

Death
Table of the Mortal Sins.

Deathbed (top, left corner)

An exhausted man lies. Last minutes life, death is already near. He is surrounded by monks and a doctor.
Under the attentive gaze of a guardian angel, the monk prays for the salvation of the soul of a dying person. But, as in most of Bosch's works, evil is always nearby - a monkey-like demon perched next to the angel.

Last Judgment
Table of the Mortal Sins.

The Last Judgment (top, right corner)

Four angels blowing trumpets herald the beginning of the Last Judgment. Christ sits on a transparent ball, on both sides of him are the chosen righteous. Below, damned sinners begging for forgiveness and drowning, going to Hell.

Hell
Table of the Mortal Sins

Hell (bottom, left corner)

Hell is the most striking of the four scenes. Shown here are the various punishments corresponding to the seven deadly sins.

On the left is a couple in bed, covered in red (symbol of adultery).
There are many demons around, preparing for torture.
In the center is a figure being tortured by a demon dressed as a nun.
The next one lies on a stone slab, ready to be dismembered.
Below, a couple (similar to Adam and Eve) are being tortured and threatened by a demon carrying an orb.

Paradise
Table of the Mortal Sins.

Heaven's Gate (bottom, right corner)

Heavenly Gates... At the entrance, St. Peter and the heavenly trio of angels welcome the new citizens of the City of God, who appear at the gates naked like newborn babies.

Even here, at the entrance, a demon lurks, hoping to lead the righteous soul astray (left, below). But the vigilant Archangel in the red cloak is on guard.

Christ with an open book (in the center of the circle), communicates God's decision. Around the Virgin Mary, the apostles and four kneeling angels.
On the right are those who receive the arrivals and lead them to Paradise.

Presumably this picture refers to early period creativity of Bosch. It is also called a “tabletop” because of its functional purpose, which, however, it never fulfilled. The plot of the picture sets the viewer up for religious reflection. For about three hundred years, the painting has been hanging in El Escorial, where the Spanish King Philip II once hung it in his bedroom. Since then, the painting has left Escorial only once: during civil war in Spain - for security reasons it was transferred to temporary storage in the Prado.

The central part, consisting of four concentric circles, symbolizes the All-Seeing Eye of God, in the pupil of which the risen Christ shows his wounds. In the second circle you can see the Latin inscription Cave, cave, Deus videt - “Fear, fear, for the Lord sees everything.” The third circle depicts rays similar to the sun, and the fourth, in segments, depicts the seven deadly sins.
Below the image of each of the seven deadly sins is its Latin name.
These inscriptions can be considered unnecessary - there is no need to explain that a person who greedily devours everything that the hostess puts on the table commits the sin of gluttony, and a well-fed gentleman dozing by the fireplace commits the sin of laziness; This is precisely what a woman with a rosary in her hands reproaches him for. Lust is embodied by several couples in love, pride is embodied by a lady admiring her reflection in the mirror held in front of her by the devil, who has taken the guise of a maid in an incredible cap.
Similar genre scenes illustrate anger (two men fight at the door of a tavern), greed (a judge takes a bribe), and envy (a losing plaintiff looks angrily at his successful rival). Genre-allegorical scenes, full of crude humor, are written in the detailed pictorial manner of the old Dutch. The images of the seven deadly sins are arranged in a circle, which denotes the constancy of their presence. Bosch included them in the iris of God's eye and thus made a warning to those who think that they will escape subsequent punishment.
Four round images at the corners (tondo), called the “four last things,” complete the picture: they depict death, the Last Judgment, Heaven and Hell. Inscribed on the fluttering scrolls are the words: “For they are a people who have lost their minds, and there is no sense in them” (Deuteronomy 32:28) and “I will hide my face from them and see what their end will be” (Deuteronomy 32:20)

Hieronymus Bosch is probably the most mysterious artist in the world. Until now, researchers are arguing about the essence of his work, about why he chose such strange and frightening subjects... He is called a religious heretic, a magician, an alchemist, an alien, a contactee...

Member of the Brotherhood of Our Lady

The painter's real name was Jeroen van Aken. He was born around 1450 in the Dutch city of 's-Hertogenbosch, then part of the Duchy of Burgundy. The van Aken family came from the German city of Aachen. Both Jeroen's grandfather, Jan van Aken, and his father Anthony were artists.

The young van Aken's name is first mentioned as "Jheronimus" in archival documents for 1474. In 1478, Jerome's father died, and his son inherited his art workshop. The van Akens were mainly engaged in carrying out various orders - wall paintings, gilding wooden sculptures, making church utensils. According to documents, in 1480 Jerome took the pseudonym Bosch. It was just a derivative of its abbreviated name hometown's-Hertogenbosch - Den Bosch.

In 1486, the painter joined the Brotherhood of Our Lady (“Zoete Lieve Vrouw”), which included both clergy and laymen. Perhaps Bosch was motivated by commercial interests: he was entrusted with the design of various ceremonies, paintings in the temple, etc. He quickly became known outside the community.

Bosch died in 1516. After him, about 25 paintings and 8 drawings survived. Among them are triptychs, fragments of triptychs and, finally, individual paintings.

Drawing Hell

Many of Bosch's paintings were created to order religious subjects. Thus, he allegedly wrote his famous triptych “The Last Judgment” by order of the then ruler of the Netherlands and King of Castile, Philip I. “The Temptation of St. Anthony” - by order of King Philip’s sister Margaret of Austria, who became viceroy in the Netherlands after the death of her brother.

The first thing that attracts attention in the artist’s works is the abundance of various demons and monsters, chaotic combinations of parts human body, plants and animals... He was called the artist who paints hell.

Let's take one of the most famous paintings Bosch - "Garden" earthly pleasures" It depicts giant monsters with naked people swarming in the background.

Or a monster whose body is a cracked egg and whose legs are tree trunks. Inside the monster you can see a tavern filled with visitors drinking and eating...

Light of other dimensions

Images of the Apocalypse are found in many painters, but Bosch’s interpretation is very far from generally accepted Christian canons. In one of his frescoes, preserved in the Cathedral of 's-Hertogenbosch, crowds of people in the darkness with outstretched arms watch a descending green cone-shaped object, inside of which a bright white ball flickers. Inside it one can see a naked figure, only partially resembling a person.

Dutch professor of history and iconography Edmund Van Hoosse suggested that Bosch foresaw contact between earthlings and aliens (which, however, has not yet taken place). And American parapsychologist and ufologist Jordan Hards claims that the artist himself was an alien, and all his paintings depict nothing more than space travel...

Alchemist, heretic, seer?

Nowadays, interest in Bosch is even higher than among his contemporaries. Some researchers believe that the artist was a surrealist of the Renaissance, and he extracted all the monstrous images from the depths of the subconscious. Others see in Bosch's works various symbols associated with magic, astrology, and alchemy. Still others are convinced that Bosch was a heretic. Allegedly, he was a member of the Brotherhood of the Free Spirit, whose members were also called Adamites, a sect that arose back in the 13th century.

What symbolism can actually be seen in Bosch's works? Thus, the ladder in esotericism denotes the path to knowledge. An inverted funnel is a scam or false wisdom. The key is knowledge. A severed leg is heresy. Arrow is evil.

What do images of animals indicate? For example, the owl is usually considered a symbol of wisdom, but in Bosch it is found in the context of, say, deceit and sin. Therefore, it is logical to assume that the owl, a bird of prey and night, symbolizes dark side human nature. The same thing is symbolized by black birds, which are also present in the artist’s paintings. In the Middle Ages, the toad was definitely considered a “devilish” creature and in alchemy it symbolized sulfur, which in religion is associated with the underworld...

In the paintings there are sufficient quantities of dry trees and animal skeletons. These are nothing more than symbols of death.

American researcher, author of the book “The Secret Heresy of Bosch” Linda Harris believes that painting had a so-called visionary (prophetic) gift. Thus, she correlates the paintings of the Last Judgment with the wars and cataclysms of the modern era.

Empty grave

Another mystery is connected with the artist’s grave. His remains were buried in the chapel of the Church of St. John, which he once painted. In 1977, the burial was opened by archaeologists, and it turned out that the inside was empty! According to excavation director Hans Gaalfe, the flat stone also looked strange, not like the granite or marble that was usually used for tombstones in those days. When a fragment of stone was placed under a microscope, it began to emit a faint glow without any impact and heated up by more than three degrees.

The church did not allow the investigation of the burial to continue: it perceived these manipulations as desecration of the grave famous artist. Today in the Church of St. John you can see a tombstone with the name of the painter and the years of his life written on it. And at the top there is a fresco he once painted depicting a crucifixion surrounded by a strange greenish light...

McCaleb leaned back in his chair and took a sip from his bottle of water. This last paragraph was perhaps the most interesting. The information contained in it could become a way by which the killer could be identified in a small group, and then found. Initially, the circle of suspects was huge; in essence, it included everyone who New Year's Eve had access to Edward Gunn. Father Ryan's information narrowed it down significantly to those who knew medieval Latin or had seen the word "Dus" somewhere, and perhaps the entire inscription.

Probably somewhere in a church.

After everything he had read and seen, McCaleb did not even think about sleep. It was already half past five and he knew he would end the night in the cabin. It was probably too early in Quantico to find anyone in the behavioral sciences department, but he decided to call anyway. I went up to the salon and took out cellular telephone from the charger and dialed the number. When the switchboard attendant responded, McCaleb asked to be transferred to Special Agent Brazile Doran. Of all the possible options, he chose Doran because they had worked well together in their time - and often far from each other. In addition, Doran specialized in the authentication and symbolism of icons.

The call went to voicemail, and as McCaleb listened to the greeting, he decided whether to leave a message or simply call back. At first, he thought it would be better to hang up and try to find Doran later: a personal call was much harder to avoid than a recorded message. But then he decided to trust his old partnership, even if he had not worked in the Bureau for almost five years.

-Brass, this is Terry McCaleb. Long time no see. Listen, I want to ask you a favor. Could you call me back as soon as you have a minute?

He dictated his cell phone number, thanked him and hung up. He could take the phone into the house and wait for the call there, but that would mean that Graciela would hear the conversation with Doran, and he didn’t want to. McCaleb returned to the forward cabin and began looking through the murder materials. I checked all the pages again, looking for something that would stand out as banal or, conversely, exceptional. I jotted down a few more notes and made a list of things to do and know before writing. psychological picture. But mostly he just waited. Finally, at half past five, Doran called back.

“Really, a long time ago,” she said instead of greeting.

- Too long ago. How are you, Brass?

“I can’t complain because no one listens.”

– I heard that the situation there, you guys, is absolutely terrible.

- You're right here. They tie us hand and foot, and then smash us to smithereens. Just imagine, last year half of our staff was in Kosovo helping in the investigation of war crimes. Six weeks each. We have neglected our work so much that it’s even scary.

He wondered, McCaleb wondered, if she was trying to imply that he had better not ask for the favor mentioned in the message. But I decided to continue anyway.

“Well, then you probably won’t like my request.”

- God, I'm really shaking. What do you want, Terry?

- I'm doing a favor to a friend. From the homicide department. I was asked to review a murder case and...

– Has he already come here?

- That's her. Yes, she ran the materials through the computer and received a dummy. They explained to her what a bottleneck there is in drawing up portraits, and she turned to me. I kind of owe it to her, so I agreed to watch it.

- And now you want to jump the line?

McCaleb smiled, hoping that Brazil was smiling too on the other end of the line.

- Yeah. But in my opinion it won't take much time. I just need one thing.

- So lay it out. What exactly?

– I need iconographic justification. I found something here and I want to know what it is.

- OK. Hopefully no major excavations will be required. And what is this symbol?

- Owl? Just an owl?

– More specifically, a plastic owl. Still an owl. I want to know if this has happened before and what it means.

“Well, I remember the owl on a bag of potato chips.” What brand is this?

“Wise” from the East Coast.

- You see now. The owl is a symbol of wisdom.

-Brass, I was hoping for something more...

- Certainly. You know, I'll see what I can find. Please note that the symbols change. At one time they mean one thing, at another time they can mean something completely different. Do you just want modern applications and examples?

McCaleb remembered the inscription on the tape.

– Can you add the Middle Ages?

- It looks like you have a strange... Listen, is this “Forgive me, Lord”?

- Maybe. How did you guess?

- Well, the medieval Inquisition and other church nonsense. Already met. Okay, I have your number. I'll try to call you back today.

McCaleb considered asking her to analyze the message on the tape, but decided not to bother. In addition, the message was probably included in the computer request compiled by Jay Winston. So he thanked Doran and was about to disconnect when she asked about his health. He replied that it was excellent.

– Do you still live on a yacht?

- Nope. I now live on an island. But the yacht remained. I also have a wife and a newborn daughter.

- Wow! Could this be the Terry TV Dinner McCaleb I knew?

- The same one, for sure.

“Well, it looks like you’ve finally come to your senses.”

- Perhaps.

“Then be careful.” Why are you getting into this again?

McCaleb did not answer immediately.

– I don’t really know myself.

- Do not fool me. We both know why. Okay, I'll see what I can scrape together and call you back.

- Thank you, Brass. Will wait.

McCaleb entered the captain's quarters and pushed Buddy Lockridge aside. The friend jumped up, waving his arms.

- It's me, me!

Before he calmed down, Buddy hit McCaleb in the ear with the book he was reading before bed.

- What are you doing? - Buddy exclaimed.

- I'm trying to wake you up.

- For what? How much time?

- Almost six. I want to cross to the mainland.

- Now?

- Yeah, now. So get up and help me. I'll take care of the lines.

- Why not wait until it gets lighter?

- Because I don't have time.

As Buddy reached over and turned on the light bulb attached to the cabin wall just above the forward berth, McCaleb noticed that the book he was reading was called Wire in the Blood.

“You really have wire in your blood, buddy.” - He rubbed his ear.

- Sorry. And anyway, why are you in such a hurry? That's the thing, right?

- I'll be upstairs. Let's start.

McCaleb left the cabin. As he expected, Buddy shouted after him:

– Will you need a driver?

- No, Buddy. You know, I’ve been driving myself for a couple of years now.

“Yeah, but you buddy might need some help.”

- I'll be fine. Hurry up, Bud, I want to get to the shore.

McCaleb took the key from the hook near the salon door and went to the bridge, where he turned on the radar. The air was still cool, and the first rays of the sun were just beginning to break through the morning fog. The engine started halfway: a week ago, Buddy took the yacht for a major overhaul in Marina del Rey.

McCaleb left the engine idling and went to the stern lookout. I untied the stern line, moved the Zodiac around the side and tied the boat to the line from the mooring buoy. Now the yacht was free. McCaleb returned to the forward cabin and looked at the bridge. Buddy, disheveled from sleep, was just sitting down on the pilot's seat. McCaleb signaled that the yacht was free. Buddy pushed the levers forward and the Tailtide took off. McCaleb lifted an eight-foot gaff from the deck and used it to push the buoy away from the bow as the yacht turned into the channel.

He remained in the cabin, leaning back against the rail and watching the island slide away. Once he looked at the house and saw that the light on the terrace was still burning. At this time the family was usually asleep. McCaleb thought about the mistake he had just made deliberately. He should return to the house and tell Graciela about his plans, try to explain himself. But it will take a lot of time, and he still won’t be able to convince her. And McCaleb decided to just leave. He will call his wife from the mainland, and will deal with the consequences of his decision later.

The pre-dawn breeze chilled the skin on my arms and neck. McCaleb turned away from the island and looked forward - to where the still invisible City lay. The fog and darkness seemed to hide something sinister. The bow of the yacht cut through the water, smooth and black-blue like the skin of a marlin. McCaleb knew he had to go up to the bridge and help Buddy. One of them will control the yacht, and the other will monitor the radar screen to plot a safe course to the port of Los Angeles.

It’s a pity, the thought flashed through that the radar was not able to plot a course through the fog of uncertainty enveloping the investigation. This is a completely different fog.

Thoughts of trying to find an unknown path turned his mind to the matter that captivated him so deeply.

Beware Beware God knows.

These words became a kind of mantra for McCaleb. There, in the ragged fog, the person who wrote them is hiding. A person who has already acted on them at least once and probably won't stop. McCaleb was going to find this man. But in doing so, in accordance with whose words will he act? Is it the true Lord who is sending him on his way?

He flinched when he felt a touch on his shoulder and turned around, almost dropping the gaff overboard. Buddy.

- Jesus, buddy!

- Are you okay?

“I was until you scared me to death.” What are you doing? You should be sailing a yacht.

McCaleb glanced over his shoulder to make sure the port markings were left behind and they were out into the bay.

“Understand,” said Buddy, “you were standing here with a hook - well, just like Captain Ahab.” I decided that something was wrong...

- I thought. Are you against it? And don't sneak up on me!.. Take the helm, Buddy. I'll be up in a minute. By the way, check the generator - the batteries could be recharged.

When Buddy left, McCaleb felt his heart calm again. He stepped out of the cockpit and inserted the gaff into the clamps on the deck. As I leaned over, I felt the yacht rise and fall, tumbling through three- and four-foot waves. He straightened up and looked around, looking for the source of the excitement. But I didn’t see anything, as if smooth surface a ghost flashed across the bay.

Harry Bosch picked up his briefcase like a sword and, using it as a shield, made his way through the crowd of reporters and cameras that had gathered at the door of the courtroom.

- Let me in, please let me in.

The journalists did not move until he pushed them out of the way with his briefcase. In a desperate stampede, they pulled tape recorders and cameras to the center of the group of people, where the defendant's lawyer was broadcasting.

Finally Bosch reached the door where a policeman was standing guard. The cop recognized Bosch and moved away.

“You know,” Bosch told him, “and it’s like that every day.” During a meeting, this type usually has nothing to say, but behind the doors he becomes a nightingale.

Bosch walked down the center aisle to the prosecution table. He came first. He pulled up a chair and sat down. He opened his briefcase on the table, pulled out a heavy blue folder and placed it in front of him. Then he closed the briefcase and placed it on the floor next to the chair.

The courtroom was quiet and almost empty, with only the clerk and the court reporter preparing for the hearing. Bosch loved this time. The calm before the storm. And a storm would definitely break out, he knew that for sure. Bosch nodded to himself. He was ready, ready for another fight with the devil. This is his purpose, he lives for such moments. Moments that should have been savored and remembered, but which always felt like a punch to the gut.

There was a loud sound and the side door opened. Two policemen brought the man in. He was young and somehow managed to maintain a tan despite spending three months in prison. On a beautiful blue suit, undoubtedly, a week's salary would have been spent on the people standing on either side of the defendant. An element of disharmony was introduced by the waist chain to which his hands were chained. The man clutched a sketchbook in one hand. The other held a black felt-tip pen, the only writing instrument allowed in prison.

The man was brought to the defense table. While the handcuffs and chain were being removed from him, he smiled and looked straight ahead. The policeman put his hand on his shoulder and pressed him, forcing him to sit up. Then the police retreated and took places behind him.

The man immediately leaned forward, opened the album and started working with a felt-tip pen. Bosch watched. The felt-tip pen squeaked furiously on the paper.

“They don’t give me coal, Bosch.” What danger can a piece of coal pose?

He said this without looking at Bosch. The detective didn't answer.

“It’s the little things that bother me the most,” the man continued.

“Get used to it,” Bosch responded.

The man laughed, still not looking at Bosch.

- You know, for some reason I knew that you would say so.

Bosch was silent.

– See, Bosch, you are so predictable. Like all of you.

The back door of the courtroom opened and Bosch turned away from the accused.

It's starting.

By the time McCaleb got to the Farmer's Market, he was already half an hour late for his meeting with Jaye Winston. The crossing to the mainland took an hour and a half, and as soon as he docked in Cabrillot, McCaleb immediately called. They agreed to meet at Dupar, but then it turned out that the battery in the Cherokee died because the car had not been used for two weeks. I had to resort to the help of Buddy and his old Taurus.

McCaleb entered the restaurant located on the corner of the market, but did not see Winston there. We could only hope that she hadn't left. He chose an empty booth that offered maximum privacy and sat down. There was no need to look at the menu. They chose the Farmers' Market to meet because Edward Gunn's apartment was nearby and because McCaleb wanted to have breakfast at Dupar's. He admitted to Winston that what he missed most on the island was the local pancakes.

He, Graciela and the children traveled to the City once a month to buy clothing and supplies unavailable on Catalina, and often ate at Dupar's. It didn't matter if it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, McCaleb always ordered pancakes. Raymond too. But the boy preferred it with boysenberry syrup, while McCaleb preferred it with traditional maple syrup.

McCaleb told the waitress that he was waiting for a friend and ordered orange juice and a glass of water.

They brought him two glasses. He opened leather bag and took out a plastic box of pills. McCaleb kept a week's supply of pills on the boat and a couple more days' supply in the Cherokee's glove compartment. He prepared the box as soon as he arrived. Alternating between orange juice and water, McCaleb took the twenty-seven tablets that constituted his morning dose. He knew them all by shape, color and taste: Prilosec, Imuran, Digoxin... Methodically selecting one after another, McCaleb noticed that a woman from the next booth was watching him with raised eyebrows.

This is already for life. For him, pills are as inevitable as death and taxes. Over the years, something will change: some will have to be abandoned, new ones will be added, but McCaleb knew that for the rest of his life he would swallow pills and wash away their vile taste with orange juice.

- I see you ordered without me.

He looked up from the remaining three cyclosporine tablets. Jaye Winston sat down opposite.

- Sorry, I'm very late. The traffic on the tenth is simply terrible.

- Everything is fine. I was late too. The battery is dead.

- And how much do you take?

- Fifty-four a day.

- Incredible.

– I had to turn the closet in the hallway into a medicine cabinet. Entirely.

“Well, at least you're still here.”

She smiled and McCaleb nodded. A waitress approached the table with a menu for Winston.

- I'll take what he took.

McCaleb ordered a large portion of hash browns with melted butter and told the waitress they would have one portion of well-done bacon to share.

- Coffee? – the waitress asked.

She looked as if she was taking her millionth order for pancakes.

“Yes, please,” Winston replied. - Black.

McCaleb said he was fine with orange juice. When they were alone, McCaleb looked at Winston across the table.

- So, have you caught the manager?

“He’s waiting for us at half past ten.” The apartment is still vacant, but it has been cleaned. After we resolved this, the victim's sister arrived, went through his things and took everything she wanted.

– Yes, that’s what I was afraid of.

“According to the manager, she took a little... but the poor fellow had nothing.”

– How about an owl?

- He doesn’t remember the owl. Frankly, I didn't remember either until you mentioned her this morning.

- Just a feeling. I'd like to take a look at her.

“Well, we’ll see if she’s still there.” What else do you want to do? I hope you didn't move here just to look at the murdered man's apartment.

“I was thinking about talking to my sister.” And maybe with Harry Bosch.

Winston was silent, but it was clear from her appearance that she was waiting for an explanation.

– To create a psychological portrait of an unknown person, it is important to know the victim. Daily routine, personal characteristics - everything. Yes, you know it yourself. Sister and to a lesser extent Bosch can help with this.

– Terry, I asked you to just look at the papers and the recording. I'm already starting to feel guilty.

McCaleb fell silent as the waitress brought Winston's coffee and two glass jugs of boysen syrup and maple syrup. After waiting for her to leave, he spoke:

“You knew it would hook me, Jay.” “Beware, beware, God sees”? I want to say, don't. You didn’t think that I would just look at everything and dictate a report over the phone, did you? Besides, I'm not complaining. I myself decided to act. If you feel guilty, you can pay for the pancakes.

-What did your wife say?

- Nothing. She knows I have something to do. I called her from the mainland. In any case, it was too late to say anything. She just asked me to buy a bag of green tamales at El Cholo when I got ready to go back. They are sold frozen.

They brought pancakes. McCaleb politely invited Winston to choose the syrup first, but she moved the pancakes around the plate with a fork, and he could not resist: he poured maple syrup over everything and began to eat. The waitress brought the check. Winston quickly grabbed it.

- The sheriff will pay.

- Thank him.

“I don’t understand what you expect from Harry Bosch.” He told me that in the six years since the prostitute case, he had only met Gunn a few times.

- When it was? The day he was taken away for the last time?

Winston nodded, pouring boysen syrup over her pancakes.

“It turns out they saw each other the evening before the murder.” I didn't find anything in your materials.

– I didn’t write it down. There was nothing there anyway. The desk sergeant called Bosch and said that Gunn had been taken to the sobering station for drunk driving.

McCaleb nodded.

“And he came to look at him.” That's all. According to him, they didn't even talk because Gunn was too drunk.

“Well... I still want to meet Harry.” We once worked together. Good cop. Intuitive, observant. Perhaps he knows something useful for me.

- Okay, let's hope that the meeting will take place.

- What are you talking about?

- Do not you know? He represents the prosecution in the trial of David Storey. In Van Nuys. Don't you watch the news?

- Damn it, I forgot! I think his name was in the papers when Story was hired. This was... when, in October? And already the trial?

- Yes already. There are no delays, and there is no need for preliminary hearings because they went through the grand jury. Jury selection began immediately after the first. I recently heard that the list is ready, so they will probably start this week. Maybe even today.

- Yeah. Bosch was lucky. He's probably just happy.

“You don’t want me to talk to him?”

Winston shrugged.

- Not at all. Do whatever you want. I just didn’t think you’d run so much on your own. I can talk to the captain about the consulting fee, but...

- Don't worry. The sheriff pays for breakfast. It's enough.

- Does not look like it.

McCaleb didn't tell her that he would work for free just to get his life back for a few days. He also didn’t mention that he couldn’t have taken the money from her anyway. If he received any official income, he would lose the right to medical assistance from the state, which pays for his fifty-four pills a day. The pills were so expensive that if he had to pay for them himself, he would go bankrupt within six months. Or would have to have a six-figure salary. This is the disgusting underside of the medical miracle that saved him. He got a second chance at life by trying to make a living. That's why their travel business was registered to Buddy Lockridge. Technically, McCaleb was listed as an unpaid deckhand. Buddy simply rented a yacht from Graciela; rents accounted for sixty percent of all tourist receipts after expenses.

- How do you like the pancakes? - he asked Winston.

- Amazing.

- Damn right.

The Grand Royal apartment turned out to be a two-story monstrosity, a collapsing box covered in scraps of plaster. Their style claims began and ended fashionable design letters of the name nailed above the entrance. The streets of West Hollywood and other relatively flat areas are literally overgrown with such boxes with high-capacity apartments, which in the fifties and sixties displaced one-story cottages. They replaced real style with false decorative flourishes and names that reflect the essence exactly the opposite way.

McCaleb and Winston entered the second-floor apartment owned by Edward Gunn, along with the building's manager, a man named Rorschach. If he hadn't known where to look, McCaleb wouldn't have noticed what was left of the bloodstain on the carpet where Gunn died. They didn't change the carpet - they just cleaned it. There was only a faint light brown mark that the next tenant might mistake for spilled coffee.

The apartment was cleaned and prepared for rent. But the furniture remained the same. McCaleb recognized her from the videotape.

He looked at the glass cabinet. Empty. The plastic owl was missing. McCaleb looked at Winston.

- She’s not there.

Winston turned to the manager:

“Mr. Rorschack, there was an owl sitting on that cabinet.” We think this is important. Are you sure you don't know what happened to her?

Rorschack spread his hands.

- No, I do not know. You already asked, and I thought: “I don’t remember any owl.” But if you say so...

He shrugged and jutted his chin, then nodded, as if reluctantly agreeing that there was an owl on the glass cabinet.

McCaleb interpreted his body language and words as classic mannerisms of a liar. Deny the existence of the stolen item - and the theft seems to have never happened. Apparently Winston picked up on this too.

- Jay, do you have a phone? Can you call your sister and double check?

“I'm still waiting for the county to buy me a phone.”

McCaleb didn't want to borrow the phone in case Brass Doran called back, but he put the leather bag on the soft sofa, found the phone and handed it to her.

Winston had to take the notepad out of his briefcase and find Gunn's sister's number there. While she was calling, McCaleb slowly walked around the apartment, looking at everything and trying to grasp the resonance of this place. In the dining room, he stopped in front of a round wooden table, around which stood four straight-backed chairs. The crime scene report stated that there were multiple smudged, incomplete and complete fingerprints on three chairs - all belonging to the victim, Edward Gunn. On the fourth chair there were no prints at all - neither blurry nor clear. The chair was carefully wiped down. Most likely the killer did this after he took the chair for something.

McCaleb got his bearings and walked over to the right chair. Carefully, so as not to touch the back, he placed his hand under the seat and carried it to the locker. I placed it in the middle and climbed onto the seat. He raised his hands as if putting something on top. The chair swayed on its uneven legs, and McCaleb instinctively reached out to the top edge of the cabinet to steady himself. And then it dawned on him. Before he could grab hold of the cabinet, he stuck his hand through the frame of one of the glass cabinet doors.

- Be careful, Terry.

He looked down. Winston stood nearby. Phone in hand.

- Certainly. So does she have a bird?

- No, she doesn’t even know what I’m talking about.

McCaleb stood up on his toes and examined the top of the closet.

– Did she tell you what she took?

– Just some clothes and old childhood photographs. She doesn't need anything else.

McCaleb nodded, still looking at the top of the cabinet, which was covered in a thick layer of dust.

– Did you say that I would come over to talk to her?

- I forgot. I can call you back.

- Jay, do you have a flashlight?

She rummaged in her purse and handed him a small pencil flashlight. McCaleb turned it on and brought it to the top of the cabinet at a shallow angle. The light showed the dust on the surface more clearly, and he could now see the octagonal imprint left by something placed on top of the dust on the cabinet. Owl stand.

He shined the light some more, then turned off the flashlight and climbed down from the chair. Jay returned the flashlight.

- Thank you. Perhaps you should think about calling the trail experts here again.

- For what? There's no owl there, is there?

McCaleb glanced at Rorschach.

- Uh-huh, no. But whoever put her there used that chair. When the chair began to wobble, he had to grab something.

He pulled a pen from his pocket, reached up and tapped on the side of the closet near where he saw the prints in the dust.

“It’s quite dusty here, but there may be prints.”

- What if that someone took the owl?

McCaleb looked pointedly at Rorschack as he answered.

- The same. There may be fingerprints.

Rorschack looked away.

– Can I use the phone again?

While Winston called the experts, McCaleb pulled a chair into the center of the living room and placed it a few feet from the blood stain. Then he sat down and looked around the room. With this configuration, the owl would look not only at the victim, but also at the killer. Some instinct told McCaleb that this was what the killer wanted. He looked at the bloodstain and imagined he was looking at Edward Gunn, fighting for his life and slowly losing the battle. Bucket, he thought. Everything matches except the bucket. The killer set the stage, but could not watch the performance. He needed a bucket so as not to see the victim's face. This bothered McCaleb because it didn't fit with the bigger picture.

Winston came up and handed him the phone.

“One team is just finishing up a break-in in Kings.” They'll be here in fifteen minutes.

- Lucky.

- Very. What are you doing?

- Just think. I think he sat there and watched, but then he couldn't stand it. Hit the victim on the head to possibly hasten death. Then he took a bucket and put it on his head so that he couldn’t see.

Winston nodded.

- Where did the bucket come from? There is nothing in the case...

“We think it came from under the kitchen sink.” There is a wet circle on the shelf that matches the bottom of the bucket. Kurt wrote about this in the addendum. Probably forgot to put it in the folder.

McCaleb nodded and stood up.

– You will wait for your specialists, right?

- Yes, they should arrive soon.

- I want to go for a walk.

He headed towards the open door.

“I’ll go with you,” Rorschack said.

McCaleb turned around.

- No, Mr. Rorschach, stay with Detective Winston. We need an independent witness to observe what we are doing in the apartment.

He glanced over Rorschack's shoulder at Winston. She winked, hinting that she understood his phony excuse and would play along.

- Yes, Mr. Rorschach. Please stay here if you don't mind.

Rorschack shrugged again and raised his hands.

McCaleb walked down the stairs into the building's courtyard. He walked around it, examining the flat roof. He didn’t see the owl anywhere, so he turned and walked out through the hall into the street.

On the other side of Switzer Avenue stood the Braxton Arms, three-story house in the shape of the letter "L". McCaleb walked across the street to the six-foot gate. More of a decoration than an obstacle. McCaleb took off his windbreaker, folded it, and stuck it between two gate bars. Then he put his foot on the handle of the gate, measured himself and climbed over. He jumped down from the other side and looked around to see if anyone was looking at him. Everything was quiet.

He took his windbreaker, climbed to the third floor and walked along the corridor to the front side of the building. From climbing the gate, and then up the stairs, he was breathing loudly and forcefully. Having reached the facade, he put his hands on the fence and stood for a while, leaning forward, until he caught his breath. Then he looked across the street at the flat roof of the house where Edward Gunn lived. And again I didn’t see the plastic owl.

Hieronymus Bosch. "The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things"

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things - Hieronymus Bosch. 1475-1480. Board, oil. 120 x 150 cm

If you look closely, the deep symbolism of the image will become clear. In the center of the picture is a round element consisting of four circles different sizes concentric shape, embodies Bosch's idea of ​​the All-Seeing Eye of God. His pupil is an image of the resurrected Jesus Christ, indicating the wounds he received while suffering to atone for the sins of all mankind. Around the divine “pupil” on a golden background there is an inscription in Latin, meaning that God sees who, how and with what sins. She is surrounded by thin golden rays emanating from the son of God, like from a luminary.

The next circle is the iris, divided into separate sectors dedicated to the seven deadly sins. Each sin is signed with its own explanatory inscription. But the artist depicted all the sins so expressively that it seems simple unnecessary action. The sin of gluttony is a man literally sweeping away any food that appears on it from the table, another stout gentleman sluggishly dozing by the fireplace - this is the embodiment of despondency. Lust is kissing and hugging couples, pride is a woman narcissistically looking in the mirror, fighting drunks is anger, a judge accepting a bribe - greed, envy is how a man who loses a court case looks at his successful opponent.

All these sins, so understandable even today, are enclosed in a circle, which emphasizes their cyclical nature, repetition, and constant presence in a person’s life. And now, after half a millennium, all these mortal sins still have a place in our lives, so Bosch’s painting remains relevant in the 21st century.

At the four corners of the picture, also inscribed in circles, there are images of the four most important things - Death, the Last Judgment, Hell and Paradise. Above and below the large concentric circles are ribbons with Latin inscriptions.

Painting in this masterpiece medieval art very detailed and realistic. Colored, even multi-colored circles are placed on a flat black background, which perfectly shades and highlights bright colors. This picture has already revealed Bosch’s characteristic metaphorical style, but it does not yet contain so many monstrous irrational and otherworldly characters, as if born in a heavy delirious dream.