The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Scenes of Witchcraft: Evening

Scenes of Witchcraft: Evening

c. 1645–49
(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 1977.37.3
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

At dusk, Rosa's hags gather around a cauldron. Above their incantations soars a conjured skeleton holding an hourglass symbolizing the brevity of life. In its left hand, the demonic creature holds a capital letter A from which extends a plumb line; as ancient signs of the moon and judgment, this strange combination of symbols embodies the nocturnal judgment the witches are doling out below. Though more rare in paint, the detailed portrayal of witches at their spells enjoyed a long literary tradition. The wax effigy alludes to classical literature by Virgil and Horace that described love magic. Poets in the 1500s and 1600s continued the tradition, writing verse about witches concocting potions and performing love spells. In Rosa's own poem "La Strega (The Witch)," the jilted Phyllis vows to take revenge on her feeble lover, listing the ingredients for her black magic: "ground powders, mystic gems, snakes and owls, stinking blood. . . ." Painting was considered "mute poetry" in the 1600s, and Rosa often explored the same themes in his written and painted art—a clever way to gain fame as a unique intellect.
  • Family of the Marchese Giovanni Niccolini, Florence; [Heim Gallery, London]. Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1977.
  • Langdon, Helen. Salvator Rosa Paint and Performance. London: Reaktion Books, Limited, 2022. . Chapter 2
    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.
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 3. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced: cat. 176C, p. 398 - 403
    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' Sabbath Mentioned: P. 224-231: Reproduced: P. 225, 229 www.jstor.org
    De Nile, Tania. Fantasmagorie: streghe, demoni e tentazioni nell'arte fiamminga e olandese del Seicento. Roma : Officina libraria, 2023. Mentioned and reporoduced: p. 220, fig. 256
  • The Novel and the Bizarre: Salvator Rosa's Scenes of Witchcraft. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 15-June 14, 2015).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (2/15/2015 - 6/14/2015); "The Novel and the Bizarre: Salvator Rosa's Scenes of Witchcraft"
    Salvator Rosa (1615-1673): Bandits, Wilderness, and Magic. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (organizer) (December 12, 2010-March 27, 2011).
    Kimbell Art Museum (12/12/2010 - 3/27/2011): "Salvator Rosa (1615-1673): Bandits, Wilderness, and Magic", ex. cat. no. 21c, p. 170-173.
    The Night. Haus der Kunst, Munich (organizer) (November 1, 1998-February 17, 1999).
    CMA, January 1978: Year in Review, cat. no. 42. The Night, Haus der Kunst, Munich, November 1, 1998- February 7, 1999.
  • {{cite web|title=Scenes of Witchcraft: Evening|url=false|author=Salvator Rosa|year=c. 1645–49|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1977.37.3