Exlibris Margarethe Strauss (Magdeburg)
1900
Imagine opening a book in 1900 and finding this dramatic scene instead of a simple nameplate. Franz Stassen created this *Ex Libris* (bookplate) for Margarethe Strauss, depicting a moment straight out of a dark legend. A robed scholar confronts a horned demon—likely Mephistopheles from Goethe's *Faust*—who sits on a stone throne coiled by a giant snake with bat-wing markings. Stassen, famous for illustrating German myths, framed this gothic encounter with delicate Art Nouveau foliage and a crowd of humanity below, creating a perfect mix of beauty and horror.