The Witching Hour

For the last few months my personal research has consisted of witches, witches, and more witches.  Now it is Halloween and what better way to celebrate than to display the 18th century's view of witches in art.  Gone were the days of witch hunt hysteria and come were the days of the theatrical witch.  Goya and Fuseli are perhaps the most famous for their witches but there were a handful more artists who experimented with the theme.

Francisco Goya, Witches in the Air, 1797-98

Francisco Goya, The Witches Sabbath, 1797-98

Henry Fuseli, The Witch and the Mandrake, 1812

Henry Fuseli, Macbeth Consulting the Vision of the Armed Head 1793-1794

John Runciman, The Three Witches, 1767-68

Francesco Zuccarelli, Macbeth Banquo and the Witches, circa 1760s

John Martin, Macbeth, 1820

James Gillray, A Phantasmagoria, 1803

Henry Fuseli, The Three Witches, 1783

Daniel Gardner, The Three Witches from Macbeth, 1775

Francisco Goya, Linda Maestra, 1798

Francisco Goya, The Witches Sabbath, 1823

Yay or Nay? Magdalena Hess of Zürich

Boo! Happy Halloween, we have already begun celebrating accordingly because Grace Peel's gown scared many last week, earning her a Nay.  To stay in spirit with the festive holiday I could have done a masquerade gown but those appear to often on here to make for a special occasion.  Instead I dipped into the portfolio of the dark art(ist)s and managed to pull forth a portrait which may chill some to the bone but could appeal to your ghoulish fashion sense.

Henry Fuseli paints Magdalena Hess (circa 1779) in her slender, blood-red dress and high, un-powdered coiffure.  Yay or Nay?

[Staatliche Kunstsammlungen]

Happy Halloween!

As you may have noticed from my other Halloween post, Halloween is my favourite Holiday so I would like to wish you fun and fancy and this night of ghouls, goblins and, of course, candy! In celebration, let's explore some creepy 18th century art by two of the best; the Spanish artist Fransico Goya and the Swiss-British Artist Henry Fuseli.


Fuseli, The Nightmare, 1781
Goya, The Dream of Reason Brings Forth Monsters, 1799

Fuseli, The Three Witches, 1783

Goya, The Witches' Sabbath, 1798

For more 18th century macabre works, be sure to check out The Tate's past exhibition, Gothic Nightmares. The Tate has been so kind as to have left a virtual tour of the exhibition on their site so you can view the works they had on view. You know I love it because it has many fun satirical pieces!