The bewitched groom

Has Baldung, Dürer’s most talented and renowned pupil, developed his own highly original style, which was characterised by innovative compositions and themes. Witches and horses are familiar motifs in his secular prints and respond to topical beliefs surrounding witchcraft and superstition in German society at this time.  

In this enigmatic woodcut, the old crone holding a flaming torch is a witch, who has presumably caused the horse to mortally wound the groom. One interpretation links this image to a popular folk story about a sinful robber knight who unsuccessfully tried to avoid retribution for his actions by disguising himself as a stable hand. 

Created the year before he died, this is one of Baldung’s last prints; the inclusion of the Baldung family’s coat of arms on the stable wall may represent an awareness that his own death was imminent. 

Julie Robinson, Senior Curator, Prints, Drawings & Photographs