Witches Preparing for Sabbath

Art Historical Context

In the early 17th century, Europe's fervent witch hunts, Dutch artist Jacques de Gheyn, in collaboration with engravers Andries Stock and Nicolaes de Clerck, created *Witches Preparing for Sabbath* around 1610. This monumental engraving, measuring an impressive 17¼ × 25¾ inches, captures a fantastical scene of witches amid their nocturnal rituals, surrounded by familiars like cats and lizards and playful putti—chubby cherubs that add a whimsical contrast to the eerie gathering. De Gheyn, a master of Northern Mannerism, was renowned for his intricate depictions of the occult, blending meticulous detail with a sense of the supernatural. As a large-scale print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, the work exemplifies the power of engraving: a technique that allowed affordable reproduction and widespread dissemination of provocative imagery. De Gheyn's design, likely etched by Stock and published by de Clerck, showcases fine lines and textures that evoke both horror and curiosity, reflecting the era's obsession with demonology and folklore popularized in texts like the *Malleus Maleficarum*. Culturally, this artwork mirrors the anxieties and fascinations of the time, when accusations of witchcraft gripped communities across the continent. Its gift to the Met in 2001 preserves a vivid window into how artists transformed superstition into art, inviting viewers to ponder the blurred lines between myth, morality, and the macabre.