Witches' Sabbath (Goya, 1798)

Witches' Sabbath
Spanish: El aquelarre
ArtistFrancisco Goya
Year1797–1798
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions43 cm × 30 cm (17 in × 12 in)
LocationMuseo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid

Witches' Sabbath (Spanish: El Aquelarre)[1] is a 1798 oil painting on canvas by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. Today it is held in the Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid.

It was purchased in 1798 along with five other paintings related to witchcraft by the Duke and Duchess of Osuna.[2] The acquisition of the witchcraft paintings is attributed to the duchess rather than her husband, but it is not known whether they were commissioned or bought after completion.[3] In the twentieth century the painting was purchased by the financier José Lázaro Galdiano and donated to the Spanish state upon his death.

Witches' Flight, 1797–98. 43.5cm x 30.5cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid. This is another of the set of six owned by the Duchess of Osuna.
  1. ^ Aquelarre in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.
  2. ^ These six paintings were Witches' Flight, The Spell, Witches' Sabbath, The Witches' Kitchen, The Devil's Lamp, and The Stone Guest. ("Sotheby's to sell original receipt for Goya painting in Danny Boyle's art heist movie Trance". ArtDaily. Retrieved 31 August 2013.)
  3. ^ Grange, 63