Mephistopheles and Margaretta is a 19th-century wooden "double sculpture". The obverse depicts the demon Mephistopheles, and the reverse depicts a woman, Margaretta. A mirror placed behind the sculpture allows both sides to be seen simultaneously.
Anton Kaulbach: "Faust and Mephisto"
The 19th-century sculpture was created by an unknown French sculptor, carved into a block of sycamore wood. The obverse is a depiction of a confident and arrogant Mephistopheles, wearing a hood and boots, and with a smirk on his long face. The reverse is of Gretchen with her head bowed, appearing as a simple girl with downcast eyes. The statue is carved from one single block of wood and is exhibited with a mirror placed behind it, allowing viewers to observe both sides at the same time. The dichotomy of good and evil is emphasized by the innocence of the female figure, a demure woman holding a prayer book in her hand, contrasting with the depiction of evil exemplified by Mephistopheles.
The statue reflects the themes of good and evil in Goethe's Faust. In the play, Mephistopheles makes a bet with God: he says that he can go down to earth and meet Faust and make him do bad things.
Illustration from: "Faust, Tragédie" by Goethe, translated into French by Albert Stapfer, and illustrated by Eugene Delacroix. Paris, Ch. Motte & Sautelet, 1828 first edition iv, 148 pp.
Faust is frustrated with his life and for a moment he thinks of killing himself, but then hears people celebrating Easter and decides to go for a walk. A poodle who has no home follows Faust back to his house. In Faust’s study, the poodle changes into the devil (Mephistopheles). Faust makes an arrangement with the devil: the devil will do everything that Faust wants while he is here on earth, In exchange Faust will serve the devil in hell. He agrees, making a deal with the Devil, and as one of his requests for magic, Mephistopheles seduces a young woman named Gretchen (Margaretta) for Faust. She is impregnated by Faust, who kills her mother and her brother, gives birth to his bastard son. Gretchen realizes the evil in the situation and drowns the child, and is held in jail on the charge of murder. Gretchen is hanged but is allowed to go to heaven; Faust is also saved by God because of Gretchen's pleadings.
Mephistopheles visits Faust in his study. An illustration, by Tony Johannot
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