Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna
Date: 1647-49
Technique: Oil on wood, 48 x 70 cm
The Witches' Initiation was a popular subject in the circles of the Saftleven brothers in Rotterdam. In Teniers's version the witching is taking place in the distant background, where a young, naked witch with a broomstick between her legs is being anointed before she flies off through the gaping hearth. In the foreground two ladies are studying books in a civilised fashion. The assemblage of objects at right retains the character of a still-life.
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