Cornelis Saftleven (Dutch, 1607–1681)
A Witches' Sabbath
INV-5349
Cornelis Saftleven (Dutch, 1607–1681)c. 1650
A Witches' Sabbath
Cornelis Saftleven (Dutch, 1607–1681) →dutch17th Centuryoil on panelpaint
Date
c. 1650
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
54.3 × 78.2 cm (21 3/8 × 30 3/4 in.); Framed: 77.1 × 101.6 × 10.2 cm (30 3/8 × 40 × 4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
George F. Porter Collection
A witch riding a goat and brandishing a broomstick charges out from the left edge of this scene to chase away dozens of devils. Such ghoulish subjects had long been appreciated in Northern Europe for the way they combined a sense of wild, supernatural threat with scientific observation of the natural world—seen here in the detailed moth wings of the howling figure on the right and the deft rendering of the frog’s splayed body. Cornelis Saftleven responded to Dutch buyers’ evolving taste by treating his fantastic subjects with fine brushstrokes and a limited color palette.
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