The Dream of the Doctor (B. 76; M., Holl. 70; S.M.S. 18)

Details

Albrecht Dürer
The Dream of the Doctor
(B. 76; M., Holl. 70; S.M.S. 18)
engraving, circa 1498, without watermark, a very fine, rich and black Meder a-b impression, with burr in the darkest areas, printing with very faint wiping marks below, trimmed inside the platemark on three sides but retaining a fillet of blank paper outside the borderline, trimmed on or just inside the platemark above, in excellent condition
S. 7 3/8 x 4 5/8 in. (187 x 118 mm.)

Provenance

August Artaria (1807-1893), Vienna (L. 33); his posthumous sale, Artaria, Vienna, 6-13 May 1896, lot 96 (Mk 130).
Dr. Gottfried Eissler (1862-1924), Vienna (L. 805b); his sale, C.G. Boerner, Leipzig, 8 - 10 November 1921, lot 272.
Henry Harper Benedict (1844-1935), New York (L. 2936); then by descent. Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 10 May 1973, lot 74 (US$11,500).
British Rail Pension Fund; their sale, Sotheby's, London, 29 June 1987, lot 11 (£33,000).

Special Notice

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Lot Essay

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 Venus is closely related to Eve in Adam and Eve (lot 26). There is a charm and light-heartedness about this print which does not quite seem to support the moral rigor of its message.

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