Two Figures Wearing Mitres: The Rotterdam Fragment

Two faces occupy a small painted opening beneath a dark arch. The figure at the left looks almost directly outwards, while his companion turns towards the left beneath a tall, jewelled headdress. White cloth surrounds their heads and necks. Below, a large circular ornament catches the eye with a red centre, pale stones and a gold-coloured setting. The fragment preserves an encounter made from proximity, costume and subtly different directions of attention.

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen holds the painting as Two Figures Wearing Mitres, inventory 1177 (OK). Its current catalogue identifies an anonymous painter, dates the panel to about 1480 and records Bosch as a former attribution.^[1] The older name Two Male Heads remains useful for recognising reproductions, but it does not establish Bosch’s authorship or identify the people represented.

At a Glance

• Current museum titleTwo Figures Wearing Mitres (fragment)
• ArtistAnonymous, in the current Boijmans catalogue
• Museum dateAbout 1480
• Alternative classificationCircle of Jheronimus Bosch, about 1475–1525, in RKDimages
• MediumOil on panel
• Dimensions14.5 × 12 cm
• CollectionMuseum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
• Inventory1177 (OK)
• AcquisitionEstate of F. J. O. Boijmans, 1847
• Recorded originSouthern Netherlands, according to the museum

Compare these works across Bosch’s career

These date ranges are estimates, not a documented year-by-year sequence. These works provide context for the article; none is highlighted as the object discussed here.

Approximate dates

14801490150015101520

Saint Jerome at Prayer

Circa 1485–1495 ^[2]

Crucifixion with a Donor

Circa 1490–1500 (BRCP) ^[2]

Hermit Saints Triptych

Circa 1495–1505 ^[2]

Saint Liberata Triptych

Circa 1495–1505 ^[2]

The Hearing Forest and the Seeing Field

Circa 1500–1505 (Berlin exhibition) ^[3]

The Haywain Triptych

1510–1516 (BRCP) ^[2]

Annotated Details from Two Figures Wearing Mitres

This Rotterdam panel fragment preserves two closely placed figures beneath a curved green field. Their current anonymous attribution and the Bosch-circle association are examined in the article.

Details from TWO FIGURES WEARING MITRES

The photographs preserve the visible cracking and worn paint.

1

The figure at the left

The left figure wears a tall mitre above a pale face and white collar. The figure turns inward towards the companion beside it.

2

The figure at the right

The second mitre rises over a face turned towards the left. Pale folds at its base separate the headgear from the darker surrounding clothing.

3

The circular ornament

A large circular ornament sits low on the right figure’s chest. Small coloured forms and a bright outer edge interrupt the darker fabric.

Image and detail crops: Wikimedia Commons source 1 (public domain reproductions).

The More Frontal Face

The figure at the left has a comparatively rounded face. Both eyes remain visible, with a small shadow beneath the nose and a narrow mouth lower down. The face is enclosed by cloth rather than separated from it through an expansive area of bare neck. This makes the head seem settled within its costume, with little room for a turn or an emphatic gesture.

White material falls beside the cheeks and broadens beneath the chin. Its lower edge describes a large curve across the chest. Against the darker green garment, that pale shape gives the face a clear enclosure. It also links the head visually with the much more complicated folds around the companion’s headdress.

The left shoulder introduces another kind of surface. A blue-green section carries small gold-coloured details, while darker cloth occupies the area beneath the neck. These changes of colour make the clothing substantial even though so little of the torso survives. The figure does not depend upon a hand or an attribute for visual distinction.

The Turned Head at the Right

The other face is more obviously directed across the picture. The nose points towards the left, while the eyes follow a similar direction beneath relatively straight brows. A moustache and short beard give the lower face a texture absent from the companion’s more open cheeks. The lips and chin are described within a narrower, more angular arrangement.

Grey-white cloth wraps around the forehead and continues down beside the face. Several folds run almost horizontally above the eyebrows before bending away towards the sides. The wrapping interrupts the straight rise of the tall headdress, making the transition from face to headwear particularly elaborate.

The right figure also occupies slightly more of the foreground. His shoulder, ornamented collar and chest extend across the lower part of the image, while the left figure’s clothing is partly confined behind them. The difference creates a shallow sense of depth. Neither person needs to stand in a fully described room for the overlap to establish their relationship.

The two faces consequently operate together without doing the same thing. One is more frontal and compact; the other is turned and more emphatically framed by folds, beard and collar. Their closeness invites the viewer to look between them, but does not disclose a recoverable conversation or a particular moment in a story.

Two Different Mitres

The museum’s title draws attention to the headdresses, whose forms dominate much of the surviving panel.^[1] The left one rises in an irregular gold-coloured shape, with a dark opening near its upper section. A reddish band sits above the forehead, and a green passage appears along the side. Its changes of colour make the structure more intricate than a simple pointed cap.

The right headdress has a more clearly defined high point. Pale rounded ornaments run along a gold-coloured edge, framing a muted grey interior. A small red accent rises near the tip. Around the base, the broad white wrapping introduces softer curves beneath the pointed outline.

The two structures create variety within a shared type. The left has a more open, interrupted profile; the right has a more enclosed triangular rise. Placed together, they give the upper half of the fragment an uneven rhythm. Their tips do not reach an identical height or repeat the painted arch exactly.

The forms are visually emphatic, but their specificity should not become a shortcut to naming the figures. Elaborate costume can help a painter distinguish people within a scene without preserving enough information to identify them outside it. The current institutional titles remain descriptive rather than supplying personal names.^[1][4]

The Circular Ornament

Below the right face, a broad decorated collar slopes towards a circular ornament at the chest. The collar contains repeated small dark marks and pale highlights. Its patterned surface contrasts with the relatively quiet pinkish garment beneath it, giving the figure a strongly articulated outer edge.

The large ornament has a red central form surrounded by a gold-coloured field and several pale rounded details. The arrangement can be followed as a sequence of circles within a circle. Its brightness makes it one of the most immediately legible elements in the fragment, even before the faces have been examined fully.

A smaller pale fastening appears higher at the throat. The two ornaments establish a vertical relationship between neck and chest, while the sloping collar opens out around them. The resulting pattern gives the lower part of the surviving figure a structure of its own. It is more than a neutral support for the head above.

The painted colours suggest precious decoration without allowing every material to be identified. A bright pale spot may represent a stone, pearl or reflected light. The visible arrangement is clearer than the exact substance of each component, and close description can preserve that distinction.

The Arch and the Green Background

Behind the figures is a relatively even green field. It contains little detail to compete with their headwear, faces and clothing. A dark curved band passes above them, with a broader brownish area outside it. The upper enclosure feels architectural without supplying a complete room or a securely located building.

The arch gives the image a different rhythm from the headwear. Its broad curve gathers the two unequal peaks beneath one continuous form. Near the sides, darker vertical passages narrow the space further. The faces consequently seem close to the surface and close to each other, rather than separated by a deep setting.

This painted enclosure should be distinguished from the gilt frame visible in some reproductions. The frame surrounds the collected object; the arch belongs within the image. Separating the two helps the viewer judge what survives of the painted arrangement, especially when comparing a framed photograph with a reproduction showing the panel alone.

What Survives of the Larger Painting?

Both Boijmans and RKD describe the work as a fragment.^[1][4] The lower bodies and hands do not survive within its present boundaries. The remaining shoulders and garments reach the edges without producing a complete account of the figures’ positions. Their relationship to any other people or objects is therefore difficult to reconstruct.

The designation does not identify the missing ensemble. The two heads alone cannot securely supply an original central scene, companion panel or patron. Nor does their small surviving size reveal why or when the panel was reduced. A precise account of damage, trimming or the separation of a larger painting would require further evidence.

The fragment nevertheless preserves a coherent passage of painting. The white cloth connects the faces, the patterned garments distinguish them, and the arch gathers their tall headdresses. Those relationships remain available for looking even when the surrounding narrative has been lost.

The Visible Surface

A network of fine cracks crosses the background, headwear, faces and garments. In places the surface appears interrupted or worn, making small details harder to follow. These marks belong to the painting’s physical history. They should not all be read as facial wrinkles, embroidery or deliberate lines within the original design.

The surface also places limits on judgements made from photographs. A dark or pale patch may have more than one possible explanation, and reproductions can vary in colour and contrast. The visible cracks do not, by themselves, establish a particular cause, a conservation treatment or an argument about the painter’s identity.

Anonymous at Boijmans, Bosch’s Circle at RKD

The current museum attribution is the basis for the artist name used here. RKDimages retains a different classification, placing the panel in Bosch’s circle and giving a broader date range of about 1475–1525.^[4] The two records agree on the object’s dimensions and collection, while differing in how closely they connect it with Bosch and how narrowly they date it.

RKD’s bibliography records an earlier museum catalogue of 1962 listing the work as Bosch, and a 1994 catalogue listing it as anonymous Southern Netherlandish, about 1480.^[4] Those descriptions document changing classifications; they do not make the former Bosch attribution current again.

The uncertainty need not obscure the fragment’s particular visual decisions. A frontal face beside a turned one, contrasting headdresses above white folds, and a bright circular ornament beneath a dark arch create a concentrated arrangement. Its interest survives the loss of both a larger narrative and a securely identified painter.

Artworks and related attributions

Browse paintings, drawings and related attributions. Records group triptychs, fragments and two-sided sheets where appropriate. Dates follow the cited museum records or catalogue headings and are generally estimates. Rows marked “2016 catalogue” report that publication’s attribution and collection information; these are dated opinions, rather than a claim that every work is an accepted autograph Bosch.

79 records

Search records Medium All media Drawing Painting Reset

Name	Date	Medium, attribution and collection
A Crossbowman	Second half of the sixteenth century	Oil on oak panel · Copy after Hieronymus Bosch · Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid · P002695 Source 1. Source 2.
A Woman Spinning and an Old Woman	Museum estimates: about 1480–1490 for the women and 1500–1505 for the reverse; the precise chronology is disputed	Pen and brown and grey ink on the front; pen and brown ink on the reverse · Hieronymus Bosch · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam · N 190 recto and verso (PK) Source 1. Source 2.
Adoration of the Child in Cologne	Second half of the sixteenth century	Oil on oak panel · Imitator of Hieronymus Bosch, in the city collection record · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne · WRM 0474 Source 1. Source 2.
Adoration of the Magi in Philadelphia	Early sixteenth century in the museum record; around 1495–1520 in the BRCP catalogue	Oil on oak panel · Hieronymus Bosch in the museum record; workshop of Bosch in the 2016 BRCP catalogue · Philadelphia Museum of Art, John G. Johnson Collection, 1917 · 1321; museum object 103592 Source 1. Source 2.
Adoration of the Magi — New York	c.1470–1480	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Metropolitan Museum 13.26 2016 catalogue.
Adoration of the Magi — Prado triptych	c.1494	Oil on oak; grisaille exterior · Bosch · Prado P002048 Object source.
Adoration of the Magi — three associated fragments	c.1515–1535	2016 catalogue: Follower of Bosch · Two Shepherds / Retinue in Philadelphia; associated Adoration in private collection in 2016 2016 catalogue.
Ascent of the Blessed — Venice	c.1505–1515	Oil on panel · Bosch · Gallerie dell’Accademia; Visions of the Hereafter Object source.
Battle of the Birds and Mammals	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; pen and brown ink · Berlin KdZ 14715 2016 catalogue.
Beggars and Musicians	Around 1530–1540	Ink and wash on paper · Unknown follower of Hieronymus Bosch · Albertina, Vienna · 7798 Source 1. Source 2.
Christ Carrying the Cross Drawing	Around 1470 in the museum catalogue	Black chalk or charcoal, pen and brush in brown ink, white corrections · Anonymous, workshop of Rogier van der Weyden · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam · N 81 recto and verso (PK) Source 1. Source 2.
Christ Carrying the Cross in Vienna	Around 1490–1510 in the current KHM record and BRCP catalogue	Oil on oak, painted on both sides · Hieronymus Bosch; possible workshop involvement in the Passion side discussed by the BRCP · Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna · Gemäldegalerie, GG 6429 Source 1. Source 2.
Christ Carrying the Cross — El Escorial	c.1495–1505	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Patrimonio Nacional 10014739 2016 catalogue.
Christ Carrying the Cross — Ghent	c.1510–1516 (museum)	Oil on panel · Bosch in museum listing; authorship disputed · MSK Ghent 1902-H Object source.
Christ Mocked — London	c.1510	Oil on wood · Bosch · National Gallery NG4744 Object source.
Concert in the Egg, After Hieronymus Bosch	Around 1561; third quarter of the sixteenth century	Oil on canvas · Anonymous, after Hieronymus Bosch · Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille · P 816 Source 1. Source 2.
Conjurer / Comical Concert — Louvre drawing	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch (recto), follower (concert verso) · Pen and brown ink · Louvre INV 19197 2016 catalogue.
Conjurer / Cross-bearing and beggars — Liège sheet	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch (verso), follower (recto) · Pen and brown ink · Album d’Arenberg 534 2016 catalogue.
Crowning with Thorns — El Escorial	c.1530–1540	2016 catalogue: Follower of Bosch; oil on oak · Patrimonio Nacional 10014743 2016 catalogue.
Crucifixion with a Donor	Circa 1495–1505; Circa 1490–1500	Oil on oak panel · Hieronymus Bosch · Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels · 6639 Source 1. Source 2.
Death and the Miser Drawing	Not securely established; probably made after the painting	Pen and brush, dark ink and white highlights on prepared paper · Workshop of Hieronymus Bosch in the BRCP catalogue; alternatives recorded by the Louvre · Musée du Louvre, Department of Prints and Drawings, Paris · RF 6947, Recto Source 1. Source 2.
Death and the Miser — Washington	c.1485/1490 (NGA)	Oil on panel · Bosch · National Gallery of Art 1952.5.33 Object source.
Ecce Homo Triptych — Boston	c.1495–1500; wings c.1500/1503	2016 catalogue: Workshop of Bosch; oil on oak · Museum of Fine Arts Boston; several production phases 2016 catalogue.
Ecce Homo — Frankfurt	c.1490	Mixed technique on oak · Bosch · Städel 1577 Object source.
Fall of the Damned — Venice	c.1505–1515	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on panel · Visions of the Hereafter · Venice 2016 catalogue.
Garden of Earthly Delights	1490–1500 (Prado)	Oil on oak; grisaille exterior · Bosch · Prado; triptych Object source.
Gluttony and Lust / Allegory of Intemperance — Yale fragment	c.1500–1510 (group dating)	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Yale 1959.15.22; fragment associated with Ship of Fools 2016 catalogue.
Group of Ten Spectators, a Follower of Bosch	Around 1510–1540 in the current museum record	Pen and two brown inks on paper, with a brown framing line · Follower of Hieronymus Bosch in the Morgan record; Bosch in the BRCP catalogue · Morgan Library & Museum, New York · I, 112 Source 1. Source 2.
Head of an Old Woman	About 1500	Oil on panel · Attributed to Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam · 2439 (OK) Source 1. Source 2.
Hell and the Flood — Rotterdam panels	Around 1515 in the museum records; around 1510–1520 in the BRCP catalogue	Oil on oak panels · Jheronimus Bosch in the museum records; workshop of Bosch in the BRCP catalogue · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam Source 1. Source 2.
Hermit Saints Triptych	Circa 1495–1505	Oil on oak panels · Hieronymus Bosch · Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice · 2044 Source 1. Source 2.
Infernal Landscape	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; pen and brown ink, red accent · Private collection in 2016 2016 catalogue.
Infernal Scene with Anvil / Monster Studies	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; attribution debated in entry · Pen and brown ink · Berlin KdZ 548 2016 catalogue.
Infernal Scene with Tree-Man / Standing Man	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Workshop of Bosch; pen and brown ink · Dresden C 1875; historical reverse title includes a proposed prophet 2016 catalogue.
Job Triptych — Bruges	c.1510–1520	2016 catalogue: Workshop of Bosch; oil on oak · Groeningemuseum / Hoeke loan in 2016 2016 catalogue.
Last Judgement — Bruges triptych	c.1495–1505	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Groeningemuseum 2016 catalogue.
Last Judgement — Munich fragment	c.1530–1540	2016 catalogue: Follower of Bosch; oil on oak · Alte Pinakothek 5752 2016 catalogue.
Last Judgement — Vienna triptych	c.1500–1505 (BRCP 2016)	Oil on oak · Bosch and workshop (BRCP 2016) · Academy of Fine Arts Vienna 2016 catalogue.
Man in a Basket and Comic Figures	Around 1500–1515 in the museum record	Pen and brown ink on paper; the reverse is catalogued as iron-gall ink · Hieronymus Bosch in the current Albertina record; attribution has been debated · Albertina, Vienna · 7797 recto and verso Source 1. Source 2.
Man Seen from Behind	About 1550–1569; About 1565–1570	Traces of black chalk, pen and brush in light brown ink · Anonymous, circle of Pieter Bruegel the Elder · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam Source 1. Source 2.
Mary and John at the Foot of the Cross	About 1440	Brush in grey and black · Unknown, possibly Netherlandish · Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden · C 815 Source 1. Source 2.
Model Sheet with ‘Witches’	Disputed; proposals depend on the attribution	Pen and brown ink; the BRCP also records underlying black chalk · Hieronymus Bosch; follower attributions also recorded · Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, Paris · INV 19721 recto Source 1. Source 2.
Peasant and Three Bust-Length Figures	1401–1500	Brown pen over a black preliminary drawing · Attributed to the Master of the Drapery Studies; Bosch circle also recorded · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 777 Source 1. Source 2.
River to Hell — Venice	c.1505–1515	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on panel · Visions of the Hereafter · Venice 2016 catalogue.
Saint Anthony and a Concert in an Egg	Around 1510–1525 in the museum’s 2016–17 exhibition texts	Pen in light and dark brown inks · Workshop of Hieronymus Bosch; underlying monsters: Bosch (BRCP), possibly Bosch (exhibition text) · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 711 recto and verso Source 1. Source 2.
Saint Christopher Carrying the Christ Child	c.1500; 1490–1505 in restoration material	Oil on panel · Bosch · Boijmans St 26 Object source.
Saint James and Hermogenes	About 1551–1575 in the KIK-IRPA catalogue	Oil on wood, painted on both sides · Anonymous follower of Hieronymus Bosch · Musée des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes · P.46.1.44; older number 176 Source 1. Source 2.
Saint Jerome at Prayer	Circa 1485–1495	Oil on oak panel · Hieronymus Bosch · Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent · 1908-H Source 1. Source 2.
Saint John on Patmos / Passion Scenes	c.1495–1505; estimates vary	Oil on oak · Bosch · Gemäldegalerie Berlin 1647A Object source.
Saint John the Baptist in Meditation	Late 15th century; c.1485–1510 (Prado exhibition)	Oil on panel · Bosch · Lázaro Galdiano 8155 Object source.
Saint Liberata Triptych	Circa 1495–1505	Oil on oak panels · Hieronymus Bosch · Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice · 2045 Source 1. Source 2.
Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things	1505–1510 (Prado)	Oil on poplar · Bosch (Prado); workshop/follower disputed · Prado Object source.
Ship of Fools — Louvre painting	1475–1500 (record); c.1505–1515 (exhibition)	Oil on oak · Bosch · Louvre RF 2218; fragment Object source.
Ship of Fools — Louvre workshop drawing	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Workshop of Bosch · Pen, brush, grey-brown ink and white highlights on prepared paper · Louvre RF 3714 2016 catalogue.
Studies of Monsters	About 1530–1550, according to the current Ashmolean record	Pen and brown ink on laid paper, both faces · Anonymous follower of Hieronymus Bosch · Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford · WA1863.155 Source 1. Source 2.
Studies of Saint Anthony and Monsters	No execution date specified in the current Louvre records	Pen and brown ink on paper · Bosch listed; reverse questioned by Louvre; BRCP accepts both faces · Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, Paris · INV 20871 recto and verso Source 1. Source 2.
Temptation of Saint Anthony — Kansas City fragment	c.1500–1510	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Nelson-Atkins 35–22 2016 catalogue.
Temptation of Saint Anthony — Lisbon triptych	c.1500	Oil on oak · Bosch · Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga 1498 Pint Museum.
Temptation of Saint Anthony — Prado panel	c.1530–1540	2016 catalogue: Follower of Bosch (2016 opinion); oil on oak · Prado P002049 2016 catalogue.
Terrestrial Paradise	Approximately 1505–1515	Oil on oak panel · Hieronymus Bosch · Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice Source 1. Source 2.
The Burning Ship Drawing	1500–1520	Pen and iron gall ink on paper · Attributed to Hieronymus Bosch · Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Graphic Collection · HZ-2554; numbered 2554 in the BRCP catalogue Source 1. Source 2.
The Comical Barber Scene	About 1550–1580, according to the British Museum	Pen and brown ink, grey and brown wash, over black chalk · Anonymous follower, after Hieronymus Bosch · British Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings, London · 1854,0628.46 Source 1. Source 2.
The Conjuror, After Hieronymus Bosch	Probably after 1525; around 1530–1540 in the BRCP technical report	Oil on oak panel · Anonymous follower of Hieronymus Bosch · Musée Ducastel-Vera, Saint-Germain-en-Laye · 872.1.87 Source 1. Source 2.
The Cure of Folly / Extraction of the Stone of Madness	1501–1505 (Prado)	Oil on oak · Bosch (Prado); workshop/follower disputed · Prado P002056 Object source.
The Entombment Drawing	About 1505–1515, current museum record	Brush and black and grey ink, with grey wash, over black chalk · Workshop of Hieronymus Bosch; drawn by the Master of the Prado Haywain Triptych; Hieronymus Bosch, argued by the BRCP in 2016 · British Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings, London · 1952,0405.9 Source 1. Source 2.
The Gathering of the Birds	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; pen and brown ink · Berlin KdZ 13136 2016 catalogue.
The Haywain — Prado triptych	1510–1516 (BRCP 2016)	Oil on oak · Bosch (BRCP 2016) · Prado; separate Escorial version exists 2016 catalogue.
The Hearing Forest and the Seeing Field	Circa 1500–1505	Pen and brown ink on paper · Hieronymus Bosch; reverse: Bosch and workshop · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 549, front and reverse Source 1. Source 2.
The Owl’s Nest — Rotterdam	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; pen and brown ink · Boijmans N 175 2016 catalogue.
The Passion Triptych in Valencia	Workshop of Bosch, about 1510–1520; Follower of Bosch; centre about 1530–1540, wings about 1540–1550	Oil and gold on oak panels · Workshop of Bosch, about 1510–1520; Follower of Bosch; centre about 1530–1540, wings about 1540–1550 · Museu de Belles Arts de València Source 1. Source 2.
The Pedlar / Wayfarer — Rotterdam	c.1500 (museum)	Oil on panel · Bosch · Boijmans 1079 (OK); rejoined exterior Object source.
The Tree-Man — Vienna drawing	c.1505	Pen and brown ink · Bosch · Albertina, Vienna Object source.
The Wedding at Cana, After Hieronymus Bosch	Approximately 1560 in the current museum record	Oil on panel, 93 cm high × 72 cm wide · Anonymous, after Hieronymus Bosch · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, St 25 Source 1. Source 2.
Two Fantastical Creatures — Berlin KdZ 550	Around 1505–1515 in the museum’s 2016 exhibition text	Pen in brown ink on reddish prepared laid paper · Hieronymus Bosch · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 550, recto and verso Source 1. Source 2.
Two Figures Wearing Mitres	About 1480	Oil on panel · Anonymous (Boijmans); Bosch circle (RKD) · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam · 1177 (OK) Source 1. Source 2.
Two Men and the Temptation of Eve	About 1505–1515 in the Prado’s 2016 exhibition guide	Pen and grey-brown ink on paper · Hieronymus Bosch in the 2016 catalogues discussed here · Private collection, as recorded in 2016 Source 1. Source 2.
Two Men Fighting	Not specified in the current Louvre record	Pen and brown ink · In the manner of Hieronymus Bosch · Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, Paris · INV 20660 recto; formerly NIII 8896 and MA 8400 Source 1. Source 2.
Two Men — Berlin KdZ 5210	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch questioned · Pen, brush, ink, chalk and white highlights · Berlin KdZ 5210; historical title Two Oriental Men 2016 catalogue.
Two Monsters — Berlin KdZ 547	Approximately 1500–1510 in Berlin's 2016 exhibition catalogue; an estimated range	Pen and brown ink on paper · Hieronymus Bosch · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 547, drawn on both sides Source 1. Source 2.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who painted the two figures?

Boijmans currently catalogues the fragment as anonymous, Southern Netherlandish, about 1480, with Bosch as a former attribution.^[1]

Does RKD use the same classification?

No. RKDimages retains circle of Bosch and the broader range about 1475–1525. That difference should not be presented as an agreed attribution.^[4]

Are the figures securely named?

The title identifies their mitres, but neither a particular pair of people nor a specific original narrative is securely established by the evidence discussed here.^[1][4]

Where is the fragment?

It belongs to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, inventory 1177 (OK), acquired with the estate of F. J. O. Boijmans in 1847.^[1]

References

1. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen: Two Figures Wearing Mitres (fragment), 1177 (OK), current collection record View source.
2. BRCP Catalogue Raisonné (2016), object dates in catalogues 1, 2, 8, 15 and 20; catalogue 20 object metadata only for the Haywain comparison. View source
3. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, 2016 exhibition wall texts, p. 3: approximate date of KdZ 549. View source
4. RKDimages: Two Figures Wearing Mitres, record 27671, current attribution, dating and bibliography View source.
5. Splash image, Anonymous Southern Netherlandish painter, Two Figures Wearing Mitres (fragment), about 1480 according to the museum, oil on panel, 14.5 × 12 cm, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, 1177 (OK). Estate of F. J. O. Boijmans, 1847. View source.