The Four Witches (Four Naked Women)
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
19 × 13.1 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Howard E. Wise in memory of his parents, Samuel D. and May W. Wise by exchange
Accession Number
1990.85
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Licentious witches occupied a precarious place during the 16th and 17th centuries, due to their perceived seductive powers that threatened to overturn the patriarchal order of society. The four fleshy women of Albrecht Dürer's beguiling Four Witches exchange vague and shifting glances that suggest sinister intentions. The threatening atmosphere is emphasized by a devil lurking behind an open doorway at the left, and a globe hanging from the ceiling inscribed O.G.H. (O Gott hüte), a proverb that ...