"Perspectivische Vorstellung des Beruhmten Blocken oder Blokenbergs…", Homann Heirs

This is a rare and very unusual map of Blocksberg mountain, the highest of Germany's Harz Mountains. The chart illustrates the Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) celebration, on May Day's eve when witches allegedly gather on the mountain peak to dance and welcome the arrival of spring. Blocksberg is the legendary home of witches (Hexen) and devils (Teufel). On the top of the mountain is the Hexentanzplatz, where the witches dance with the devil until he chooses one to partner with him in the coming year. At the conclusion of the dance the remaining witches take to the sky to search the world for young women to join their ranks. The chart locates the nearby villages and includes two keys in scrolls in the upper corners. Two figures dance on the Hexentanzplatz, witches on their broomsticks fill the sky, and bonfires blaze on the mountain side. This is the second state with an additional notation dated 1751, explaining that the witches should not be taken seriously. The French title is in a ribbon banner above the cartouche, Vue de la Montagne de Broken….

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Condition: B+

Light impression with slightly faded original color and some mild uneven toning.