The artwork, titled “The Stone Operation / The Extraction of the Stone Madness / The Cure of Folly,” was created by Hieronymus Bosch between circa 1494 and circa 1516. It is an oil-on-panel painting from the Northern Renaissance art movement. Its dimensions are 48 by 35 centimeters, and it is classified as a religious painting. The artwork is currently housed at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.
The artwork depicts a scene where an alleged surgical procedure is taking place. A man, seemingly the patient, is seated with a somewhat distressed expression, while another figure, possibly the surgeon, appears to be removing an object from his head. This act of “curing folly” or extracting an imaginary stone from the head was a satirical commentary on the medical practices of that period. The presence of other onlookers, including a monk and a woman with a book on her head, adds to the enigmatic and surreal nature of the scene. The background shows a distant landscape under a clear sky, providing a serene contrast to the bizarre scene unfolding in the foreground. The entire composition is framed by intricate, gothic script, adding an air of medieval gravitas to the artwork.
