330ml classic ceramic mug featuring The Carcass (Lo Stregozzo) by Agostino Musi, from the National Galleries of Scotland collection.
This print shows the procession of a witch through a dark and menacing underworld. She is pulled on a chariot made from the carcass of a monstrous creature, and is accompanied by men, children, animals, and instruments. Ichnographically these recall scenes of Bacchic parades. Compositionally the horizontal arrangement evokes processional reliefs found on classical sarcophagi.
The subject of the print is also unclear. Attempts have been made to identify the figure with a specific textual source, or as a particular witch such as Erichtho, Hecate or the witches of the ‘Furious Horde’, but no single theory has proved convincing. Mystery is maintained, as the meaning and function of this complex image remains unknown.
