Cleveland Museum of Art

The Four Witches (Four Naked Women)

Albrecht Dürer

Date

1497

Medium

engraving

Culture

Germany, late 15th Century

Department

Prints

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Dating from early in Albrecht Dürer’s career, this engraving cannot be tied to a specific narrative but may allude to the Greek goddess of the underworld, Hecate. Four nude women gather under an orb with a skull at their feet, while a ghoul emerges to their left. Three of the women could represent Hecate, who was often depicted with three faces or bodies; the fourth may be Diana, Hecate’s counterpart on earth. The nudity and allusions to black magic suggest mischief and the realm of witches. Prints offered a new medium for exploring subject matter that was deemed inappropriate in other media, such as painting.

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