The mender (follower) Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516)

This painting, The Mender (follower), depicts a scene with several figures and symbolic elements.

What I see:

The central figure is a man who appears to be a mender or perhaps a physician, based on the tools he holds and his attire. He has an eyepatch over one eye and is holding a pair of glasses and a pair of medical instruments, possibly forceps. He is seated at a table on which lie various objects, including a bellows, what looks like a lute or similar instrument, playing cards, and a lantern.

To his left stands an elderly woman wearing a light pink, patchy robe and a white headdress, leaning on a crutch. She wears a large rosary with a crucifix around her neck. Beside her is a young boy dressed in a green tunic, holding a slender pole with papers attached to it.

In the background, to the left, a figure in a dark habit, possibly a nun, holds a musical instrument, perhaps a lute. Above the mender, a small bird is visible in a cage, and to the far right, an owl perches in an open window. A red dog sits at the bottom right of the frame.

There are two inscriptions in German painted on the wall behind the figures.

Subtexts:

The painting seems to be allegorical and likely carries moral or satirical messages characteristic of the period.

• The Mender and Blindness: The prominently patched eye of the central figure could symbolize a lack of true sight or understanding, even though he is engaged in mending. He might represent someone who claims to fix things but is himself flawed or spiritually blind. The glasses he holds could be a false remedy or symbolic of seeing only superficially.
• Quackery and Deception: The presence of playing cards on the table might allude to gambling, chance, or deception. The menders profession, combined with these elements, could suggest he is a quack doctor or charlatan who preys on the vulnerable.
• Human Folly and Vice: The overall composition, with its grotesque figures, patchy clothing, and symbolic objects, often points to commentary on human vices, foolishness, or the worlds imperfections. Birdcages can symbolize entrapment or confinement. Owls are often associated with wisdom but can also represent darkness or ignorance.
• Religious Commentary: The nun-like figure playing a lute and the rosary worn by the elderly woman might hint at religious hypocrisy or the vanity of outward piety. The patchy robe itself could symbolize the tattered state of the church or individuals spiritual lives.
• The Inscriptions: The German inscriptions would provide direct context for the paintings meaning. Without a precise translation, their themes are speculative, but they likely contain moral warnings or pronouncements about the state of the world or human behavior. The visible words like nicht (not) and liebe (love, possibly rendered as lech) and streben (striving, possibly verpompen) suggest themes of denial, lack of love, or futile efforts.
• The Boy with the Pole: The boy holding the pole with papers might be involved in the menders trade, perhaps assisting in some way, or he could symbolize innocence or a future generation being led astray.

The painting, in its entirety, appears to be a complex moralizing work, possibly criticizing charlatans, the superficiality of society, and the spiritual blindness of humanity. The mender is likely a metaphor for those who promise solutions but are themselves part of the problem.