Minneapolis Institute of Art

Die Hexe - Witch Riding on a Goat

Albrecht Dürer

Date

c. 1500

Medium

Engraving

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Albrecht Dürer eventually brought a scientific and mathematical mindset to his art, but early in his career, dark and mysterious forces often stoked his imagination. In this engraving, a witch rides backwards on a flying goat, while putti cavort below. One of these capricious baby angels struggles to retain control of the unstable sphere of fate, which can roll in unpredictable directions. Another precariously supports a potted topiary plant, perhaps a symbol of man’s attempts to tame nature. Dürer signed his monogram backwards, confirmation that witchcraft has pushed the world off-kilter. Germany, Europe

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