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The image that wants to be read: an invitation for interpretation in a drawing by Albrecht Dürer

A drawing by Albrecht Dürer in the Musée des Beaux Arts in Rennes depicts angels and devils recording the thoughts of the virtuous and the sinful. In the foreground of the image, a cluster of angels hold forth a sign, on which is written the injunction, “here write what you wish.” These words have been considered as evidence of an inter-artistic dialogue aimed at a collaborator, and as a direct address from the artist to the viewer. This article considers another possibility: that the drawing was intended as a gift, characteristic of the witty exchanges between Albrecht Dürer and his friend, Lazarus Spengler. Invitations to interpretation were not only transmitted from artists to close confidants, but also from artists to anonymous viewers through the medium of prints, which invited textual markings by their owners and occasions for viewer responses to the messages contained within.