Collection online

print

• Object type

  • print

• Museum number

  1895,0122.230

• Description

  The Witches' Sabbath; four nude female figures sitting on the ground with a cauldron, which is emitting big plumes of smoke and traces of a potion with frogs. Around the figures, the ground is littered with bones, witchforks and other items associated with witchcraft. On the right, next to the barren tree with the monogram tablet, a cat is sitting with its back turned. In the night sky, another two witches, one barely visible through the smoke, the other one riding a goat and carrying a witchfork with another cauldron and animal bones. Yellow stain on the left witch. 1510 Colour woodcut printed from two blocks, tone block in grey

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• Producer name

  • Print made by: Hans Baldung

• School/style

  • German

• Date

  • 1510

• Materials

  • paper

• Technique

  • woodcut
  • colour

• Dimensions

  • Height: 373 millimetres
  • Width: 257 millimetres

• Inscriptions

  • • Inscription Content

      Signed "HBG" on a tablet hanging from the tree on the far right, and dated "1510" on the tree trunk itself.

• Curator's comments

  BM has another colour woodcut of this design (1834,0712.73) and impression of outline block only (1852,1009.203). See Giulia Bartrum, 'German Renaissance Prints', exh. cat., BM, London 1995, no.55. See also Matthias Mende, 'Hans Baldung Grien. Das graphische Werk', Unterschneidheim 1978, no.16. Mende points out the links between the flying witch in Baldung's woodcut and Dürer's 'Witch riding backward on a goat' (BM 1868,0822.188).

  Text from Bartrum 1995
  Literature: Bartsch, 55; Hollstein, 235 II; Mende, 16; Marrow and Shestack, 18

  This is a fine impression and has survived in good condition. The subtle change in mood evoked by the different coloured tone block illustrates the particular suitability of this technique of printing to Baldung's choice of subject and expressive style.

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• Bibliography

  • Hollstein 235.II
  • Bartrum 1995 55
  • Bartsch VII.319.55

• Location

  Not on display (German XVIc Mounted Roy)

• Exhibition history

  1995 Jun-Oct, BM, 'German Renaissance Prints, 1490-1550', no.55
  1996 Jun-Aug, Canterbury, Royal Mus and AG, G. Renaissance Prints
  1996 Nov-Dec, Edinburgh, NG of Scotland, G. Renaissance Prints
  1997 Jan-Mar, Cardiff, Nat Mus of Wales, G. Renaissance Prints
  1997 Apr-May, Llandudno, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, G. Renaissance Prints
  1997 Oct-Dec, Norwich, Sainsbury Centre, G. Renaissance Prints

• Subjects

  • witch/wizard

• Acquisition name

  • Donated by: William Mitchell
  • Previous owner/ex-collection: Sir Andrew Fountaine

• Acquisition date

  1895

• Acquisition notes

  Bartrum 1995 Sale, Christie's, 7 July 1884, lot 581, bought by Gutekunst for £16 10s

• Department

  Prints & Drawings

• Registration number

  1895,0122.230