The Temptation of the Idler (The Dream of the Doctor)

1493·Engraving in black on ivory laid paper·18.8 × 11.9 cm (7 7/16 × 4 11/16 in.)

<p>The German proverb “Idleness is the Devil’s pillow” is the subject of this print. While the doctor is asleep at the stove, the devil blows wicked ideas in his ear, which take the form of a naked woman.<br>Born in Nuremberg, the print center of Europe, Albrecht Dürer sought out the work of master engravers to deepen his knowledge, including Martin Schongauer and the Master of the Housebook, whose prints are displayed nearby (<a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/29317">1938.1825</a> and <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/110881">1958.299</a>). In this work, Dürer surpasses his predecessors in his acute ability to render distinct surface textures of wood, cloth, and flesh. The off-axis contrapposto position of the nude echoes the Italianate figures Dürer studied in his 1494 trip to Venice.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1493
Medium: Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: 18.8 × 11.9 cm (7 7/16 × 4 11/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Albrecht Dürer

Artist

Albrecht Dürer

Painting

Albrecht Dürer, sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe in his twenties due to his high-quality woodcut prints. He was in contact with the major Italian artists of his time, including Raphael, Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, and from 1512 was patronized by Emperor Maximilian I.

Nuremberg, Germany

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