1778 – Witch picture
- Physical description:
- Reproduction of a 17th century engraving - a young witch in a circle with a cauldron has summoned several grotesque demons, who represent the vices of smoking, drinking and gambling. 'The Sorceress' by Jan van de Velde II.
- Museum classification:
- Images of Witchcraft
- Size:
- 213 x 285
- Information:
Interesting details include a goat standing behind the witch, and a skull, books and a large bottle at front right. The witch is holding a slender wand and pouring a powder from a horn-shaped container into the cauldron. Lines in Latin at the bottom describe the power of temptation and warn, 'You laugh for the briefest moment, you suffer the pain of regret forever.'
There is a separate backing sheet with semi-legible writing in French on it, including the words 'La Magicienne' ('The Sorceress') and the date 1816.The Latin inscription is translated as:
'What evils Desire commands, in the small secluded place; who, by sweet incantation, overcomes the minds of the purest mortals, induces frenzy in everyone! But how quickly it slips by; Death overtakes brief life, brief delights. Laughing for a moment, in eternity suffering regret.'
- Resource:
- Picture
- Materials:
- Paper
- Copyright ownership:
- Treetrunk Ltd.
Interesting details include a goat standing behind the witch, and a skull, books and a large bottle at front right. The witch is holding a slender wand and pouring a powder from a horn-shaped container into the cauldron. Lines in Latin at the bottom describe the power of temptation and warn, 'You laugh for the briefest moment, you suffer the pain of regret forever.'
There is a separate backing sheet with semi-legible writing in French on it, including the words 'La Magicienne' ('The Sorceress') and the date 1816.
The Latin inscription is translated as:
'What evils Desire commands, in the small secluded place; who, by sweet incantation, overcomes the minds of the purest mortals, induces frenzy in everyone! But how quickly it slips by; Death overtakes brief life, brief delights. Laughing for a moment, in eternity suffering regret.'