Faust transformed into a young man by a magic potion supplied by a witch at the behest of Mephistopheles. Drawing by Hesse.

An episode in Goethe's "Faust", part 1, scene 8. Faust as a young man holds the elixir from which a flame rises up and looks at the image of a beautiful woman (not shown) in a mirror. He stands inside a circle of sorcerer's implements placed on the floor, including a book, statuettes, and a knife in a heart. Also standing in the circle are Mephistopheles (left) and the witch (centre). In the far corner of the room is a skeleton. An owl watches from over the lintel. Apes ("Meerkatzen", "Katzengeister") perch on chairs either side of the mirror