The Last Judgement, detail Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516)

This painting depicts a hellish scene filled with grotesque figures and torment. In the foreground, several individuals are trapped within or pushing large wooden wheels, their bodies contorted in pain and desperation. One figure, a naked child, reaches out with pleading arms, while others are hunched over, seemingly struggling to move the wheels.
To the right, a nude figure, perhaps a demon, holds a strange, frog-like creature. Beside it, a woman in a conical hat and dotted robe stands with an air of menace, her face obscured. Below them, a large, green, egg-shaped object dominates the space, with part of a roosters tail visible at the bottom right, suggesting themes of sin and damnation. A dark, ominous beam of light shines down from the upper left, illuminating the scene of suffering.
The paintings subtexts are deeply rooted in religious and moral anxieties of the time. The wheels symbolize endless torment and the futility of effort in the face of divine judgment. The monstrous figures represent the forces of evil, personifying the consequences of sin. The nude figures suggest vulnerability and shame, while the more elaborately dressed figures hint at authority and cruelty within hell. The presence of the frog and the rooster further adds to the symbolism, often associated with lust, gluttony, and hellish creatures in medieval art. The overall composition conveys a powerful message about the terrifying reality of hell as a place of eternal punishment for sinners.