Witches' Sabbath, The - London

Francken, Frans (1581 - 1642)

1606

Location:

London (England), Victoria and Albert Museum (DYCE3)

Material:

Oil on oak panel

Dimensions:

46,6 x 36,2

Unverfehrt catalogue:

De Vrij catalogue:

More information

This painting is a typical example of Frans Francken's representation of witchcrafts that he produced in series. The iconography recalls the traditional conception of the witches oscillating between beauty and horror, sensuality and lust. The witches' Sabbath takes place at night alluding to the illicit character of their activity and the whole scene gives the impression of chaos, a concept of suffering but also of regeneration alluding to the magical power of the witches.

A similar painting (51,5 x 39,5) is auctioned by Christies in Amsterdam on May 8, 2012 lot 81

Credit line:

Note: Frans Francken the Younger (1581-1642) was the most famous of a family of artists. He was likely trained by his father Frans Francken the Elder and perhaps also in Paris by his uncle Hieronymus I. In 1605, he was a member of the Antwerp Guild of St Luke. He rapidly had a large studio that produced many replicas of his extensive output. He was the inventor of the 'monkey kitchen' compositions, a genre that was subsequently widely disseminated by David Teniers (1610-1690) and was renowned for his innovative imagination. This painting is a typical example of Frans Francken's representation of witchcrafts that he produced in series. The iconography recalls the traditional conception of the witches oscillating between beauty and horror, sensuality and lust. The witches' Sabbath takes place at night alluding to the illicit character of their activity and the whole scene gives the impression of chaos, a concept of suffering but also of regeneration alluding to the magical power of the witches.

History:

Literature:

Source:

Website 'bbc.co.uk'

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