The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Scenes of Witchcraft

Scenes of Witchcraft

c. 1645–1649
(Italian, 1615–1673)
Italy, 17th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 76.2 x 9.6 cm (30 x 3 3/4 in.); Unframed: 54.5 cm (21 7/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1977.37
Location: 217 Italian Baroque

Did You Know?

The artist chose the painting's shape to reference the foundational role of the circle in practicing magic.

Description

A huge upturn in interest in witchcraft emerged during the 1500s in Europe, but by the middle of the next century—at least among the cultured elite of Florence—a backlash arose against the many accusations of sorcery. Artists and writers explored the topic more out of curiosity and amusement, chief among them the poet, painter, and satirist Salvator Rosa, who examined witchcraft with gusto in numerous poems and works of art, including these four paintings. They show a range witch types, from the beautiful enchantress to the old crone to the male sorcerer, and represent activities commonly associated with black magic: levitation, love potions, devil worship, the invocation of demons, and transformation. A common subject in Italian art of the 1600s, transformation was usually seen in interpretations of myths based on Ovid's ancient Latin text, the Metamophoses. Rosa found a novel way to exploit this idea, drawing attention to his own ability to transform paint and canvas into a disturbing, nightmarish world.
  • Niccolini Family (Florence, Italy) by 1657
    Private collection (Florence, Italy)
    Heim Gallery (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1977.
  • Langdon, Helen. Salvator Rosa Paint and Performance. London: Reaktion Books, Limited, 2022. Chapter 3
    Università di Urbino. Notizie da Palazzo Albani. Art & Architecture Complete. Urbino: Argalìa, 2009. pp.81-104.
    Fabbri, Sara. “Quattro Tondi con Incantesimi di Salvator Rosa nella collezione del marchese Filippo Niccolini.” Notizie da Palazzo Albani XXXVIII (2009): 81-104.
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 138 archive.org
    Salerno, Luigi, and Ira Kohn. "Four Witchcraft Scenes by Salvator Rosa." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 65, no. 7 (September 1978): 225-231.
    Published as: Witches' Scene, Witches' Sabbath Mentioned: P. 224-231: Reproduced: P. 224-225; 228-229 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Mentioned: p. 398-403; Reproduced: p. 399-402
    Hofstadter, Dan. "Big Baby" Art & Antiques. February 2011, Vol. 34 Issue 2, pp. 64-73. p. 73
  • Baroque Imagery. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 1984-January 6, 1985).
    Year in Review: 1977. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1977-January 22, 1978).
  • {{cite web|title=Scenes of Witchcraft|url=false|author=Salvator Rosa|year=c. 1645–1649|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1977.37