Witches sabbath. Engraving known as 'The Witches Sabbath' from a nineteenth century German encyclopaedia. The engraving shows witches, devils and demons engaged in unholy acts. Between the middle ages and the 18th century, there was a widespread belief in witches, people who sold their soul to the devil in return for good looks, wealth, power and the ability to perform evil magic. The engraving is from an encyclopaedia known as the Bilder Atlas (F.A. Brockhaus, published 1895, Germany). The Bilder Atlas is better known as the Iconographic Encyclopaedia of Science, Literature and Art.