This triptych depicts a complex moral allegory focused on a massive hay cart moving through a landscape. In the central panel, a giant, yellow mound of hay is pulled by strange, demonic creatures, representing the transience of material wealth. A diverse crowd of people—kings, clergy, and commoners—fights, scrambles, and follows the cart in a chaotic display of greed and disorder. At the top of the hay, figures engage in romantic and musical pursuits, while a small, divine presence appears in a cloud above.
The left panel illustrates the biblical narrative of the Creation and the Fall of Man, showing scenes of Eden, the temptation of Eve, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise. In contrast, the right panel depicts a nightmarish, hellish landscape filled with monstrous constructions, strange creatures, and the suffering of sinners being punished in a fire-lit, industrial-looking underworld. The composition is highly detailed and surreal, characteristic of medieval northern Renaissance art.
The colour palette varies significantly across the three panels. The left side is lush with greens and soft natural tones, while the central panel is dominated by the golden-yellow hue of the hay, contrasted against a bright blue, cloudy sky. The right panel shifts dramatically into dark, smouldering oranges, deep browns, and ominous blacks, effectively conveying the oppressive heat and torment of the infernal scene. The style is detailed and symbolic, filled with miniaturized figures and fantastical creatures.