This print illustrates a scene from "The Tinderbox," one of Hans Christian Andersen’s earliest and most fantastical fairy tales, first published in 1835. In the story, a soldier encounters a witch who sends him into a hollow tree to retrieve a magical tinderbox guarded by three dogs with enormous eyes. What begins as a simple errand turns into a tale of power, greed, and fate. Through simplified forms and a folkloric visual language, Heerup channels the tension and magic of this pivotal moment in Andersen’s narrative.

Alt text: A soldier walks down a grassy path towards the top half of a large female figure set against a wooden tree with large holes.