Why it matters
A woman with an owl on her shoulder grips a pewter beer mug and laughs at someone out of the picture, her face in an almost manic grimace. She is now thought to be a real woman from Haarlem known as 'Malle' (crazy) Babbe.
Did you know?
- It was painted around 1633–1635.
- It was long known as The Witch of Haarlem.
- Gustave Courbet copied it in 1869 when it was on view in Munich.
Based on the Wikipedia article Malle Babbe (CC BY-SA 4.0).
