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Witches' Sabbath
Artwork Viewer
This single-leaf woodblock print is perhaps the first ever on the subject of witchcraft. Hans Baldung’s print is indicative of the subject matter’s then popularity in German-speaking countries, spurred on by the publication of The Witches’ Hammer (1487) by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger. One of the earliest practitioners of woodcut printing, Baldung demonstrates his technical proficiency in this piece. The artist added a gray-green tone to the composition, imparting an ominous atmosphere, and left select sections of the paper exposed, giving the illusion of a three-dimensional space.
- Artist
- Hans Baldung (Hans Baldung Grien)
- Title
- Witches' Sabbath
- Date
- 1510
- Object Type
- Medium
- Chiaroscuro woodcut, printed in black and gray-green inks
- Dimensions
- Image: 13 9/16 x 9 5/8 in. (34.5 x 24.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Art Trust Fund, Ludwig A. Emge Fund, and Gift of Ruth Haas Lilienthal
- Accession Number
- 1984.1.111