The Love Potion

A sorceress prepares a potion

A woman in a flowing golden robe sits by an open window, pouring a dark red liquid into a silver goblet. Through the window, a knight and a lady embrace on a terrace. At her feet, a black cat stares at us.

Evelyn De Morgan painted The Love Potion in 1903. It belongs to the De Morgan Foundation.

Concentrated and calm

The sorceress is seen in profile, her red-gold hair braided and wrapped in a jewelled headdress. Her expression is focused and serene. She seems in full control of her craft.

Pouring the potion

She tips a small flask so that the red liquid streams into the goblet. A ring sparkles on her finger. Whether the potion is meant to bring the lovers together or to harm them is left open.

Outside, the knight and lady embrace on the terrace, unaware of what is being prepared for them.

Books of magic and a familiar

On the shelf behind her are books whose spines carry names of real writers on magic and alchemy, among them Paracelsus and Agrippa. De Morgan herself was interested in spiritualism and esoteric thought.

At the bottom, a black cat with yellow eyes sits on the floor, the traditional companion of a witch.

Who was Evelyn De Morgan?

Evelyn De Morgan (1855 to 1919), born Mary Evelyn Pickering, was one of the first women to study at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. She was strongly influenced by Edward Burne-Jones and by Italian Renaissance painting, especially Botticelli. She married the potter and novelist William De Morgan, and the couple shared an interest in spiritualism, social reform and women’s suffrage.

Her paintings are full of symbolic figures, allegories of light and darkness, and strong female characters.

A powerful woman

The sorceress is not shown as an evil witch. She is beautiful, serious and absorbed in her work, surrounded by books of knowledge. The titles on the spines refer to esoteric writers, such as the alchemist Paracelsus and the occult philosopher Agrippa. She seems to control the fate of the lovers through her learning. For De Morgan, she may represent female wisdom and power.

The black cat

The black cat at her feet, with its golden eyes, is the traditional companion of witches. It looks straight at the viewer, as if aware of the magic at work. De Morgan uses familiar symbols of magic, but treats them with seriousness and beauty rather than horror.

Gold and jewel colours

De Morgan used a special technique with tempera and oil, which gave her paintings a luminous, almost enamel-like surface. The sorceress’s golden robe and the deep reds and blues of the room glow with intense colour. The effect recalls Italian Renaissance altarpieces and medieval manuscripts.

Where to see it

The Love Potion belongs to the De Morgan Foundation, which preserves the works of Evelyn and William De Morgan. Our hand-painted oil reproduction follows this composition. You can also read about De Morgan’s Medea and Aurora Triumphans.

Questions about The Love Potion

Who painted it?

Evelyn De Morgan, in 1903.

Where is the original?

The De Morgan Foundation.

What are the books?

Books on magic and alchemy, including names such as Paracelsus and Agrippa.

Why is there a black cat?

It is the sorceress’s familiar, a traditional companion of witches.

Where did Evelyn De Morgan study?

At the Slade School of Fine Art in London, one of the first women to do so.

What do the books refer to?

Their titles refer to esoteric writers such as Paracelsus and Agrippa.

Sources and image credit

• The De Morgan Foundation
• Wikimedia Commons: The Love Potion

Public-domain reproduction of The Love Potion (1903), via Wikimedia Commons (Google Cultural Institute). Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.