The Owl's Nest

This is one of only three autograph drawings by Bosch. It is not a preparatory study, but a work of art in its own right. It has a remarkable perspective; its close-up view of a gnarled treetop, the three owls and other birds, all set against a broad landscape with villages and a group of horsemen in the background. The motif of an owl, a symbol of sin, is also found in his painting The Pedlar.