Ship of Fools (painting)

The Ship of Fools is a painting by Hieronymus Bosch, which shows humans wasting their lives foolishly with playing cards, drinking, flirting, eating, etc. instead of spending it in "useful" ways.

The owl in the tree is symbolic of heresy.

The lute and bowl of cherries have erotic associations.

The people in the water may represent the sins of gluttony or lust.

The inverted funnel is symbolic of madness.

The large rost bird is a symbol of gluttony. The knife being used to cut it down may be a phallic symbol or it may be symbolic of the sin of anger.

A monk and a nun are singing together. This has some erotic overtones (especially with the presence of the aforementioned lute) since men and women in monastic orders were supposed to be separate.

The painting is oil on wood, measuring 58 x 33 cm (23 x 13"). It is on display in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.