Scenes of Witchcraft: Day
c. 1645–1649
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
unframed: w. 54.5 cm · framed: w. 76.2 cm, d. 9.6 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1977.37.2
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Rosa's scene at noon showcases several hoary hags that exemplify his treatment of witches. Clutching skulls, wielding brooms, and slicing lizards, the witches prepare to travel to the Sabbath, an orgy of witches. One witch flays the skin of a thrashing lizard to extract the innards needed to concoct magical unguents, while her companions brandish skulls. Goats were the common mode of transportation for witches, but Rosa substitutes an owl, a harbinger of evil. Although Rosa foregrounds the viole...