Escher created the
Scholastica suite to illustrate the book The Terrible Adventures of
Scholastica. Jan Walch, Escher’s acquaintance, wrote the book about the witch
of Oudewater, a small town in the Netherlands famous for its Witch’s Scales.
During the 16th century people accused of witchcraft could try to prove their
innocence in the Weighing House. Defendants wanted to be tried in Oudewater
because they did not rig their scales. As a result of this honesty, no one was
ever found guilty of witchcraft
None of the
woodcuts in the book were given titles by Escher. In addition to the six large
woodcuts, there are 13 smaller woodcuts. Most of them are illustrated letters,
but there is a title page and a vignette that concludes the story. The “Letter
A” was created for the book, but never printed, and therefore, not picture
here. Scholastica was printed in an edition of 300 in 1933. Almost every woodcut from Scholastica is
available for purchase.