The Four Witches (Four Naked Women)

1497

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

The Four Witches (Four Naked Women) is a 1497 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Albrecht Dürer
When & what style?: 1497 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

Four naked women stand in a tight circle, their bodies lit from the side. A skull sits at their feet, and a small demon peeks out from behind them. Above their heads floats a glowing ball. This is one of Dürer’s earliest engravings, made when he was still in his twenties. The women might be witches—or goddesses in disguise. The nudity and creepy details suggest dark magic, but no one knows the full story. The orb and skull add mystery, not answers. If you like this eerie mood, look up *chiaroscuro*—the way light and shadow play in the scene.

The story of this work

Overview

Dating from early in Albrecht Dürer’s career, this engraving cannot be tied to a specific narrative but may allude to the Greek goddess of the underworld, Hecate. Four nude women gather under an orb with a skull at their feet, while a ghoul emerges to their left. Three of the women could represent Hecate, who was often depicted with three faces or bodies; the fourth may be Diana, Hecate’s counterpart on earth. The nudity and allusions to black magic suggest mischief and the realm of witches. Prints offered a new medium for exploring subject matter that was deemed inappropriate in other media,…

Read the full account in the museum source.