Bosch was born and lived all his life in and near ‘s-Hertogenbosch, a city in the Duchy of Brabant. His grandfather, Jan van Aken (died 1454), was a painter and is first mentioned in the records in 1430. It is known that Jan had five sons, four of whom were also painters. Bosch’s father, Anthonius van Aken (died c. 1478), acted as artistic adviser to the Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady.[10] It is generally assumed that either Bosch’s father or one of his uncles taught the artist to paint, but none of their works survive.[11] Bosch first appears in the municipal record on 5 April 1474, when he is named along with two brothers and a sister.
