id:			123405
accession number:	1943.635
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1943.635
updated:		2023-08-25 11:18:32.432000

The Witch (Night Piece), 1626. Jan van de Velde (Dutch, 1620–1662). Engraving; framed: 39.4 x 51.6 cm (15 1/2 x 20 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection 1943.635

title:				The Witch (Night Piece)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1626
creation date earliest:		1626
creation date latest:		1626
current location:		
creditline:			Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection
copyright:			

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culture:	Netherlands, 17th century
technique:	engraving
department:	Prints
collection:	PR - Engraving
type:		Print
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: Hollstein XXXIII.53.152

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CREATORS

* Jan van de Velde (Dutch, 1620–1662)  - artist

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measurements: Framed: 39.4 x 51.6 cm (15 1/2 x 20 5/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Dutch Painting, The Golden Age
	opening date:   1955-01-05T05:00:00
	<i>Dutch Painting, The Golden Age</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 27, 1955).

	title:		Old Master Prints and Drawings
	opening date:   1966-07-29T04:00:00
	<i>Old Master Prints and Drawings</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 29, 1966-February 28, 1967).

	title:		Seventeenth Century Netherlandish Graphics
	opening date:   1982-04-27T04:00:00
	<i>Seventeenth Century Netherlandish Graphics</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 27-August 1, 1982).

	title:		Nocturnal Impressions
	opening date:   1985-02-20T05:00:00
	<i>Nocturnal Impressions</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 20-May 12, 1985).

	title:		Generous Donors: A Tribute to The Print Club of Cleveland
	opening date:   1991-04-02T05:00:00
	<i>Generous Donors: A Tribute to The Print Club of Cleveland</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 2-August 4, 1991).

	title:		The Novel and the Bizarre: Salvator Rosa's Scenes of Witchcraft
	opening date:   2015-02-15T00:00:00
	<i>The Novel and the Bizarre: Salvator Rosa's Scenes of Witchcraft</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 15-June 14, 2015).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* The Cleveland Museum of Art (2/15/2015 - 6/14/2015); "The Novel and the Bizarre: Salvator Rosa's Scenes of Witchcraft"

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PROVENANCE

	William Bell Scott
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	 M. Knoedler & Co.
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	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	William Bell Scott; (M. Knoedler & Co.)
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:


digital description:


wall description:
This nocturnal scene depicts a bare-breasted sorceress concocting her evil brew in the company of bizarre beasts. She stands within a "magic circle" scratched into the ground, the supernaturally consecrated space for witchcraft-a likely inspiration for the circular forms of Rosa's paintings. She overturns a horn into her cauldron engulfed in billowing flames; mixing with the powder are two streams of ash that spew forth from pipes held in the anus of a somersaulting demon at left. The swirling, decorative composition and the variety of grotesque creatures making knowing and silly faces at the viewer add elements of whimsy and farce to the ostensibly serious, occult subject. 
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1943.635/1943.635_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1943.635/1943.635_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1943.635/1943.635_full.tif