The Dream of the Doctor (Temptation of the Idler)

Albrecht Dürer

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a scholar robed as a doctor seated at right on an elevated bench, slumped against a pile of pillows, fast asleep. In front of him stands a tower of carved blocks evidently architected with deliberate care. Behind and to his left, a demonic, bat-winged figure aims the nozzle of a bellows at his unguarded ear. In the foreground at left, a standing nude female figure gazes intently at him while gesturing with an outstretched hand. At lower right, a cherubic child with angel’s wings attempts to mount a pair of stilts while gazing down toward the floor, where a small, unadorned globe rests.