Sotheby’s Catalogue Note:

This irreverent and whimsical triptych combines elements from two of Bosch's most celebrated paintings, The temptation of Saint Anthony (Lisbon, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, inv. no. 1498) and The Garden of Earthly Delights (Madrid, Museo del Prado, inv. no. P002823). The present painting's central panel is an adaptation of the former, with certain figures transposed and other aspects of the original composition pared down or altered. The two lateral wings feature pastiched motifs derived from the central portion of the Madrid work. At left, a nude woman appears to float trapped within a translucent bubble, above which a fantastical plant-like structure is crowned by a red fruit. At right, an upside-down figure supports a human-bearing mussel, beyond which a fruit pod sprouts and flowers. The triptych, likely executed long after Bosch's day, testifies to the artist's enduring appeal from his own time to today.