This painting has a catalogue price of €150,000-300,000 at Kinsky in Vienna.
His vividly populated and drastically portrayed scenes of a dystopian world were very popular in the Netherlands and certain elements of the composition, such as the use of a mill wheel as an instrument of torture or demons forcing their victims to eat or drink, can be traced directly to known works by Bosch.
The central motif of a demon with cat-like features climbing a ladder can also be found in several works, but only as a detail and never in such a prominent position.
Some of the many followers of Bosch are known by name, but Kinsky in Vienna has not speculated on the possible authorship of the 3ft 2in x 4ft 4in (96cm x 1,32m) panel it is selling on December 7-10 with a catalogue price of €150,000-300,000.
