The Stone Operation or the Witch of Mallegem
Medium
Engraving; third state of five
Dimensions
sheet (cut to plate line): 13 15/16 x 18 3/4 in. (35.4 x 47.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1930
Accession Number
30.54.33
Tags
Art Historical Context
This engraving, created in 1559 after a design by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, captures the lively chaos of a Flemish village square. Bruegel, a leading figure of the Northern Renaissance, often explored themes of human folly through crowded, satirical scenes. Here, the title *The Stone Operation or the Witch of Mallegem* alludes to a popular medieval belief in extracting “stones of madness” from the heads of the foolish—a metaphor for curing ignorance or gullibility. The print was skillfully translated into engraving by Pieter van der Heyden and published by Hieronymus Cock, allowing Bruegel’s w...