The Dream of the Doctor

Resting on soft cushions by a stove, a man has fallen asleep, whilst a devil or demon blows sinful thoughts into his ear. In his lustful dreams, Venus herself tempts him while little Amor tries to walk on stilts and has cast aside a toy ball. The moral lessons are obvious; sloth leads to lust, and love is fickle. The so-called Dream of the Doctor is a secular version of the Fall of Man, complete with the apple resting on the stove, and the figure of the Goddess of Love is closely related to Eve in Adam and Eve (see lot 301). Whilst the themes of lust, temptation and seduction are certainly reflected in this exquisite and highly original print, there is a charm and light-heartedness about it which does not quite seem to support the moral rigour of the message. Dürer seems to have taken particular pleasure in the invention of the demon, which he created with the same sense of humour and joy in the grotesque we find again and again in this collection, from Goya to Ensor, Redon and Picasso.

The present very fine impression comes with prestigious provenance: it was once in the collection of Heinrich Anton Cornill-d'Orville, the 19th century amateur-scholar, merchant and collector of prints, who became director of the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main; and was later acquired by Peter Gellatly, one of the great English collectors of old master prints during the early years of the 20th century.