Witch Riding on a Monster - Bernard Picart

A detailed 1732 etching by Bernard Picart, reproducing a Mannerist drawing of a witch mounted on a fantastical creature.

This etching by Bernard Picart, dated 1732, reproduces a drawing by the Italian Mannerist artist Parmigianino (Francesco Mazzola). The composition depicts a chaotic, supernatural scene featuring a central figure mounted upon a hybrid creature. The imagery draws from the dark, fantastical themes often explored in early modern print culture, where the grotesque and the occult provided a subject for technical display.

Picart, a French engraver who spent much of his career in Amsterdam, was highly regarded for his ability to translate the fluid lines of master drawings into the precise medium of the copper plate. The work displays the characteristic hatching and cross-hatching techniques of the period, which define the musculature of the figures and the textures of the monstrous forms. The presence of an owl, a skull, and various spectral figures creates a sense of unease, typical of the period's interest in witchcraft and folklore. The inscription at the base of the print confirms its provenance, noting that the original drawing was held in the collection of Mr. Rutgers in Amsterdam at the time of the engraving.

As a print, this piece offers a window into the eighteenth-century practice of documenting private collections through reproductive engraving. The artist maintains the Mannerist distortion of the original design, with elongated limbs and expressive, contorted faces. The monochromatic palette, typical of etchings from this era, focuses the viewer on the draughtsmanship and the narrative tension between the central rider and the surrounding entities. This print is an example of the technical skill required to interpret the work of earlier masters for a wider audience of collectors and connoisseurs.