This richly illustrated exhibition catalog explores the complex and evolving figure of the witch in European history, culture, and imagination. Rather than repeating familiar stereotypes, the publication examines the historical roots and shifting meanings of witchcraft accusations, tracing how the image of the witch has been constructed, feared, persecuted, and eventually reclaimed.
Bringing together nearly 180 artworks and historical objects—engravings, paintings, manuscripts, ritual artifacts, and multimedia materials, the catalog follows a broad chronological journey. It begins with the magicians and ritual specialists of Antiquity, continues through the anxieties of the medieval world, and examines the dramatic escalation of witch trials in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The narrative then turns toward the gradual decline of witch persecutions and the modern reinterpretation of the witch as a symbol of autonomy, resistance, and power.
Through interdisciplinary perspectives combining history, visual culture, anthropology, and gender studies, the volume investigates how societies have projected fears, beliefs, and political tensions onto the figure of the witch. By confronting myths with historical evidence, the book offers a nuanced reflection on persecution, social control, and the cultural imagination surrounding witchcraft.
Published in conjunction with the exhibition at the Château des ducs de Bretagne – Musée d’Histoire de Nantes, this substantial volume includes over 400 illustrations and contributions from leading scholars examining one of the most persistent and fascinating figures in European cultural history.
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