Illustration from 'The Humorous Dreams of Pantagruel' by Francois Desprez, published 1565 (woodcut)

Desprez falsely claimed that his series of 120 fantastical woodcuts were part of the series of novels about the giants Gargantua and Pantagruel by the Renaissance humanist Francois Rabelais (1494-1553), probably in the hope of exploiting Rabelais' huge popularity following his death; This figure, wearing ecclesiastical robes and a broad brimmed hat with a handle, is throwing a large clasped book down a well; The artist Salvador Dali made a series of prints based upon these figures; les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel ou sont contenues plusieurs figures de l'invention de maistre Francois Rabelais;