Dürer’s negative view of the material arts and their practitioners (compared with those who practice the theological arts) suggests that the doctor’s idleness or laziness, stemming from his fruitless attempts to solve the unsolvable problems of the world, render him vulnerable to the influences of the devil. The devil’s air provokes the dream image of Venus. 

Venus dominates the dream scene, suggesting that the primary impulse of the dream revolves around the issue of sexual fulfillment (or lack thereof). Venus, however, is not coming to the doctor as a seductress, even though she appears with her bosom fully exposed. Rather, the cloth covering her genitalia, her stern expression, and her gesture toward the stove indicate that she is rendering judgment on the doctor’s laziness. The image of Eros uncomfortably balanced on stilts adds to the feeling that the doctor’s sensuous yearnings are precarious or even dangerous. The combination of these elements (the devil, Venus, Eros, the sleeping doctor, the massive stove) suggests that the dream space is an emotional battleground. Powerful sensual desires, implanted by the devil and supported by bodily drives battle it out with fear. The symbol of Venus holding the ring connects us to this central dynamic by calling upon William of Malmesbury’s legend of the young man who placed the ring on Venus’ finger.