The Deities: Demogorgon in the Cave of Eternity
Medium
chiaroscuro woodcut
Dimensions
34.9 × 26.2 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland
Accession Number
1952.204
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
male
About this artwork
Not all witches were women; men also performed magic. Unlike the destructive and sexualized stereotypes of female witches, male magicians were likened to the philosophers, alchemists, or heroic scientists of the Renaissance. In Goltzius's print, which was so popular it was reprinted as late as the 19th century, the central male figure is Demogorgon, the omnipotent father of all gods. Although Demogorgon was feared as the "Demon-gorgon," a terror who could unleash his primordial power, Goltzius p...