[Witchcraft. Occultism] Wyngaerde, Frans van den (1614-1679). (La Lecture du Grimoire/ The Piano with Cats)

Etching, ca.1650. 22.7 x 24 cm. Impression on 18th cent. paper w. watermark "D.C. & Blauw", mounted at upper margin (very good copy).

Amazing and bizarre, an extremely rare print, hardly ever offered for sale. The English title given here is derived from the mythical cat-organ that Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680) describes in Misurgia Universalis (1650). The French title is explained by the definition of a "grimoire": "A grimoire (...) (also known as a book of spells, magic book, or a spellbook) (...) a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms, and divination, and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, deities, and demons (...)." (Wikipedia). An important and highly significant print for the study of witchcraft iconography.