The Dream of the Doctor
c. 1500
- Medium
- engraving
- Dimensions
- 19 × 12.2 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-212339
Scholars generally agree that this curious engraving represents the contemporary proverb "Idling is the pillow of the devil," a moral message against the sin of sloth. Here, a middle-aged scholar dozes before a warm stove. The devil hovers behind him and uses a fireplace bellows to kindle impure desires. Aroused by the devil’s sinful provocation, the scholar’s subconscious conjures Venus, an object of lustful temptation. Dürer’s image explores the realm of dreams and innermost thought in association with powerful female sexuality. Like many of his other engravings of this early period, Dürer …
Provenance
Hanna Jr., 1934.341
Registry history
- c. 1500 — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art — prints
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