Welcome, sir, welcome. Thank you, especially, for coming to your slot on time. It does make things so much easier for us. Let me just scan your ticket… there we are. Welcome to your private viewing of Of Death and Hell; A Triptych, Artist Unknown, painted in oil on wood circa 1675.
Now, to begin with the first image. A curious aspect of the piece is that the action moves from right to left – no, don’t look ahead. It rather ruins the effect. Instead, enjoy the action before you. We see here a horde of naked, emaciated figures, barely more than skeletons, pale and stark against a slate-grey sky. They scramble up a slope, only to meet some rather severe-looking fellows with rakes and pitchforks to hurl them back down. This does nothing to deter, as you can tell, as we can see even those harshly scored with those terrible implements clambering over their fellows even as they bleed. What could they possibly be fleeing from?
Well, to answer that we need only move on to the second, central panel. It think this rather clarifies things, yes? There are more of the same, unfortunate figures, so many and so detailed that one can only surmise that it took the artist a herculean effort to carry out their work. It’s rather worth it, wouldn’t you say? Whoever they were, they really capture the agony and angst of those undergoing and waiting for the various tortures – the vats of oil, the bodies tumbling from cliffs, the racks and gibbets, prongs and – ahem, yes, I do apologise. Sometimes this panel leaves be getting somewhat carried away. Now, I am afraid I will have to hurry you along, sir, for your allotted slot is only ten minutes…
Notice now the third panel of the triptych. As I noted earlier, it’s curious that the action moves from right to left, rather than left to right as our aesthetic tastes generally demand. See how the masses of people are driven from the side of the panel towards the centre of the triptych by the grinning, grotesque figures. Are they demons? Are they the dead from the other panels looping round to torment mortals? Critics are divided, though I’m sure you’ll have your own opinion.
Now, you may observe that the clothing of those fleeing is rather interesting. The piece is dated, as you will recall no doubt, to the seventeenth century, whereas some of the clothing choices here are rather modern, aren’t they? I should also like to take a moment to tell you that not all of those figures were there this morning. Note for young lady with the rather shocked expression and what appears to be a handbag – she only appeared just after my shift started today!
Incidentally, sir, we do have a strict “ten minutes only” policy on viewing this piece. If you’d like to step this way, sir. You’ve been one of the lucky ones so far, but you’ll find it’s for your own safety…
Author’s Note
This story was written as part of my October 2021 Writing Challenge. The prompt was “Triptych”, and the story was also partly inspired by The Triumph of Death by Pieter Breugel the Younger.
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