The Four Witches
About this artwork
This print may show three witches initiating a young woman into their circle, although their exact identity is unknown. It is the first engraving Durer ever made that he dated. On the sphere above their heads is the date 1497, but the accompanying letters ‘O.G.H.’ have defied explanation. The skulls and bones scattered at their feet are indicators of magic and invocation, where the burning devil in the lower-left reiterates the presence of evil. The classically inspired pose is reminiscent of The Three Graces, and their beauty sets these women apart from the traditionally idea of witches as grotesque.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German
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title:The Four Witches
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date created:1497
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materials:Engraving on paper
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measurements:19.00 x 13.10 cm
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object type:
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credit line:William Finlay Watson Bequest 1881
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accession number:P 15
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gallery:
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subject:
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Dürer made a great impact on European art through his outstanding skills as a draughtsman and printmaker. He was also an accomplished painter and writer of theoretical treatises on measurement and proportion, and helped raise the status of artists in his native Germany. Born in Nuremberg, the son...