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Witch's Sabbath (Sabbat)

Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen

Original file
mythologicalPublic domain

Witch's Sabbath (Sabbat)

Auguste Rodin

c. 1900–05
Watercolor, gouache, and graphite

About This Work

The drawing features a nude female figure rendered in fluid graphite lines, shown from a front-facing, slightly elevated perspective against a hazy blue and pink watercolor wash. Her face is characterized by wide, staring eyes and an open mouth, conveying a sense of alarm or trance. Her legs are positioned apart, and she sits atop a broomstick that acts as a central vertical axis for the composition; the broom's handle passes between her legs, with the bristles visible at the bottom. The artist’s style is expressive and sketch-like, with faint graphite hatching used to suggest the torso and the brush of the broom.

The work references the early modern European folklore surrounding the Witch's Sabbath, specifically the trope of the witch using a broomstick as a vehicle for flight or nocturnal gatherings, a common subject in historical demonological literature like the 'Malleus Maleficarum'.

Witchbroomstick13B1131A1441D221

Inscriptions(French)

Sabbat
Aug Rodin

Translation

Sabbath
Aug Rodin

Connected Texts

Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer

The image illustrates the folkloric motif of the witch's flight, a primary concern of late medieval and early modern European witch-hunting manuals.

Provenance & Source

Object

Medium

Watercolor, gouache, and graphite

GenreAI

mythological

Digital Source

Source

Unknown · Public domain

Linked Data

AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 18, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.

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