The Most Frightening Witches In Art History

Some of the most terrifying supernatural imagery from centuries ago doesn't feature demons and devils. Instead, it shows us what we did to people who were accused of witchcraft. Here are some terrifying visual records of how people imagined witches — and how they killed them.

Burning witches, 14th century

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A witch, a demon and a warlock fly towards a peasant woman with the aid of their broomsticks, c. 1400

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Marginal decorations in Le champion des dames, by Martin Le France, 1451

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Detail of The Temptation of Saint Anthony, Hieronymus Bosch, between 1495 and 1515

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Witch Riding Backwards On A Goat, by Albrecht Dürer, c. 1500

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Three Witches beating a Devil on the ground, by Daniel Hopfer, early 16th century

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Witches, a woodcut by Hans Baldung, 1508

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Witch burning in Derenburg, Germany, 1555

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The portrait of Katharina Guldenmann, by an unknown painter in the 17th century. She was an alleged witch and the mother of Johannes Kepler

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The Witches' Flight, by Francisco Goya, 1797

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The Witch of Endor raising The Spirit of Samuel, by William Blake, c. 1800

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Okabe, by Kuniyoshi Utagawa, c. 1844

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A witch on a wallaby by George Cruikshank, c. 1850

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Portrait of Mother Damnable, c. 1880

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The Wich No.1, a litograph by Joseph E. Baker, 1892

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The witch at a stake, by Hugo Simberg (1873-1917)

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