Sibylla of Saxe-Lauenburg (1675-1733), Margravine of Baden-Baden, in a masquerade costume as a sorceress

Sibylla of Saxe-Lauenburg (1675-1733), Margravine of Baden-Baden, in a masquerade costume as a sorceress. I do not know whether the outfit really came with fire-breathing asps; perhaps there were simply no fire salamanders to be had. In this portrait Sibylla has gathered together the various attributes of witchcraft: astrology, sorcerer's paraphernalia, amphibian familiars, unkempt locks and, of course, a twig, naturally the sign of dowsing, the most accessible and conspicuous of all 'magic'. The one remaining puzzle is how this image squares with the fact that in everyday life she was not only a devoted mother but also an exceedingly pious Catholic