Witchcraft Magic and Alchemy

About this book

A sorcerer bends over a grimoire, a witch works her charms, and an alchemist watches a furnace for the sign that matter has begun to change. These figures come from centuries of European fascination with forbidden knowledge and the powers attributed to it.

Grillot de Givry surveys the history and imagery of magical practice, drawing on manuscripts, engravings and accounts of ritual, divination and alchemy. The many illustrations bring together objects and scenes usually scattered across specialist collections. The book invites browsing through its densely illustrated pages, where a magician’s workshop or a witch’s alleged arts can be examined in the visual language of their own time.