NORTHERN EUROPE, XVII-XVIII, Witch with candlestick

Silvered bronze. The silvering is worn in some spots. 24,5 x 11,5 x 7,5 cm with marble base; 18,5 x 11,5 x 7,5 cm without

Curious bronze statuette of mysterious iconography: likely a disheveled witch depicted in a fearful pose. She’s holding a lit candlestick and has a quiver-like object on her hip, maybe some sort of pen holder. It could also be a generic woman scared out of her mind by something. We can only guess what terrifying vision has spooked her so much that one of her breasts has come out while she’s screaming in fear.

We can find similar themes in artworks depicting witchcraft by Durer and Franz Francken: it might be a witches’ sabbath scene.

The detailed engraving of the hair, the hairstyle and the pretty half-column base point to a sculpture made before the XIX century.