The Witch (Night Piece) (1626): Art, History and Details

The Witch (Night Piece) (1626) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Jan van de Velde II (Dutch, c. 1593–1641).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

A seductive witch standing inside a magic circle prepares a nasty brew for her Sabbath, surrounded by her familiars (supernatural entities) in the form of beasts and demons, as well as symbols of human weaknesses like lust (a goat) and gambling. This engraving reflects the market for prints with dramatic, flickering illuminations similar to tenebrist (extreme dark/light contrasts) paintings from the early 1600s. Their theatrical lighting effects result from layering long, fine lines in dense parallel and crossed patterns. The dark manner of engraving suits the sinister scene portrayed here.

Object facts

• Title: The Witch (Night Piece)
• Date: 1626
• Creator attribution: Jan van de Velde II (Dutch, c. 1593–1641)
• Culture: Netherlands
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Platemark: 21.6 x 29 cm (8 1/2 x 11 7/16 in.); Sheet: 24 x 31.5 cm (9 7/16 x 12 3/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1943.635

Collection credit

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.