Albrecht Dürer - “Witch Riding a Goat” Measures 12” x 17” Acquired from a business whom purchased a museum that closed down. This specific piece is from a collection put together by Adam Bartsch in 1808 from “Le Peintre Graveur" volume 7
Albrecht Dürer eventually brought a scientific and mathematical mindset to his art, but early in his career, dark and mysterious forces often stoked his imagination. In this engraving, a witch rides backwards on a flying goat, while putti cavort below.
One of these capricious baby angels struggles to retain control of the unstable sphere of fate, which can roll in unpredictable directions. Another precariously supports a potted topiary plant, perhaps a symbol of man's attempts to tame nature.
Dürer signed his monogram backwards, confirmation that witchcraft has pushed the world off-kilter.