Witches' Flight
Witches' Flight is an oil-on-canvas painting completed in 1798 by the Spanish painter Francisco Goya.
The work was part of a series of six paintings related to witchcraft acquired by the Duke of Osuna|Duke] and Duchess of Osuna in 1798.
It has been described as "the most beautiful and powerful of Goya's Osuna witch paintings."
Description
At center point are three semi-nude witches wearing either penitential coroza or dunce caps.Interpretation
The general scholarly consensus is that the painting represents a rationalist critique of superstition and ignorance, particularly in religious matters: the witches' corozas are not only emblematic of the violence of the Spanish Inquisition,but are also reminiscent of episcopal mitres, bearing the characteristic double points. The accusations of religious tribunals are thus reflected back on themselves, whose actions are implicitly equated with superstition and ritualised sacrifice.
The bystanders can then be understood either as appalled but unable to do anything or willfully ignorant and unwilling to intervene.
The donkey is a traditional symbol of ignorance.