A Brief History of Hell

One of Three
No, surreal as it is, it's not a Dalí, and it's far removed from the 20th century. Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch created the massive triptych "The Garden of Earthly Delights" c. 1500. The Hell scene (a portion of which is shown above) is just the right panel of the 7-by-13-ft. (220 by 390 cm) piece, the left panel of which features a much more placid environment: Adam and Eve in Eden. Both that and the center panel — depicting those earthly pleasures — are full of light; Bosch warns, though, that darkness, and all its attendant horrors, is just across the border. Packed with detail and symbolism, Madrid's Prado calls it "one of his most enigmatic works."

• Is Hell Dead?