Witches' Sabbath, Francisco Goya
Witches' Sabbath shows the devil in the form of a garlanded goat, surrounded by a coven of disfigured, young and aging witches in a moonlit barren landscape. The goat possesses large horns and is crowned by a wreath of oak leaves. An old witch holds an infant in her hands. The devil seems to be acting as priest at an initiation ceremony for the child, though popular superstition at the time believed the devil often fed on children and human fetuses. The skeletons of two infants can be seen; one discarded to the left, the other held by a crone in the centre foreground.
Typical of the imagery of witchcraft, many of the symbols used are inverted. The goat extends his left rather than right hoof towards the child, while the quarter moon faces out of the canvas at the top left corner. In the middle high-ground, a number of bats can be seen flying overhead, their flocking motion echoing the curve of the crescent moon.
                                
Discover more Old Masters in the following collections:
 The endangered swan, Jan Asselijn
The endangered swan, Jan Asselijn The mill at Wijk bij Duurstede, Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael
The mill at Wijk bij Duurstede, Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael Queen Elizabeth of Bourbon
Queen Elizabeth of Bourbon Flower arrangement, Jan Davidsz. de Heem
Flower arrangement, Jan Davidsz. de Heem A Amsterdam street scene - Adrianus Eversen
A Amsterdam street scene - Adrianus Eversen The goldfinch, Carel Fabritius
The goldfinch, Carel Fabritius Vincent van Gogh. Flower beds in Holland
Vincent van Gogh. Flower beds in Holland Jacob Maris - Fishing boat
Jacob Maris - Fishing boat The School of Athens, Raphael
The School of Athens, Raphael Almond blossom painting by Vincent van Gogh
Almond blossom painting by Vincent van Gogh The Mirror, Robert Reid
The Mirror, Robert Reid Portrait of a woman, anonymous - 1633
Portrait of a woman, anonymous - 1633 The Milkmaid - Vermeer painting
The Milkmaid - Vermeer painting Agapanthus, Claude Monet
Agapanthus, Claude Monet Vincent van Gogh. Olive orchard
Vincent van Gogh. Olive orchard Cypresses
Cypresses The Artist’s Garden in Giverny, Claude Monet
The Artist’s Garden in Giverny, Claude Monet The great wave of Kanagawa, Hokusai
The great wave of Kanagawa, Hokusai Italian landscape with pine trees, Hendrik Voogd
Italian landscape with pine trees, Hendrik Voogd Bouquet of flowers on white background (seen at VT Wonen)
Bouquet of flowers on white background (seen at VT Wonen)