Hendrick Goltzius, The Deities: Demogorgon in the Cave of Eternity
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland, 1952.204 · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
Hendrick Goltzius

The Deities: Demogorgon in the Cave of Eternity

1588–90

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
chiaroscuro woodcut
Dimensions
34.9 × 26.2 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-195994

Not all witches were women; men also performed magic. Unlike the destructive and sexualized stereotypes of female witches, male magicians were likened to the philosophers, alchemists, or heroic scientists of the Renaissance. In Goltzius's print, which was so popular it was reprinted as late as the 19th century, the central male figure is Demogorgon, the omnipotent father of all gods. Although Demogorgon was feared as the "Demon-gorgon," a terror who could unleash his primordial power, Goltzius portrays the god as a wizened and magical force who uses his power to give form to the world.

Provenance

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland, 1952.204

Registry history

  • 1588–90 — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art — prints

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