Likewise, there is often the portrayal of brutality and agony that far outweighs the beauty in Bosch's work since he uses saints as a moral paradigm of the artist's time.

[1] Within this triptych the viewer is introduced to three hermit saints depicted in separate lands of the heavenly and hellish manifestations of mankind's sin and moral obligations.

[1][2] In the background of the left panel a church, a well, a bridge, two human figures, and carious trees can be seen silhouetted amongst the glow of fires ominous light.

The saint is collecting the marshy water of a pool with a jar, surrounded by demonic visions such as the naked woman appearing behind a tent in company of several devils.

Under her, a devil-fish is pouring wine from a jar, while around it are deformed crickets portrayed in grotesque postures: one is reading a missal, one has a prolonged beak and a peacock tail, while another is composed by a nun head with feet, which carries a little owl and its nest above.

[6] Through manual labor Saint Anthony gains the admiration of many, including men who seek him out to obtain his ascetic lifestyle.

In the lower part is a man diving into a beehive and covering himself with honey, perhaps an allusion to carnal love or to alchemic mercury.

They include, at left, a column with an idolater adoring the atmospheric phenomena, skeletons, monstrous animals fighting each other and dried bush.

At right are instead Jerome's traditional symbols, the red cardinal's hat and the lion, identifiable with the bony animal drinking at the pool.

[7] The studies of Saint Jerome included Greek and Hebrew and upon his return to Rome, his language efforts allowed him to adapt the Latin Gospels for Pope Damasus I.

[9] After the death of his parents, Saint Giles gave many of his earthly belongings to people within poor communities as a means of proving his holiness.

[11] Bosch employed the usual pigments of the Renaissance period, such as azurite, lead-tin-yellow, vermilion and ochres omitting the expensive natural ultramarine.