The Return of the Prodigal Son
The Return of the Prodigal Son

Currently not on view

The Return of the Prodigal Son,

ca. 1510

Lucas van Leyden, ca. 1494–1533; born and died Leiden, The Netherlands
x1960-1
Van Leyden was the first Netherlandish painter to focus primarily on engraving from the start of his career. This highly detailed print conflates two scenes from the parable within an expansive outdoor setting, which anticipates the rise of landscape painting as an independent genre in the seventeenth century. On the far right, we see the son as a profligate wanderer tending swine, exemplifying the licentious individual. In the middle of the composition, however, the son is presented as a penitent man redeemed by faith and his father’s mercy. In foregrounding the scene of forgiveness, Lucas seems to drive home the moral emphasis on repentance and faith.

Information

Title
The Return of the Prodigal Son
Dates

ca. 1510

Maker
Lucas van Leyden
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
plate (sheet trimmed to plate): 18.1 × 24.6 cm (7 1/8 × 9 11/16 in.) frame: 41.7 × 54.7 × 3 cm (16 7/16 × 21 9/16 × 1 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. James H. Lockhart Jr., Class of 1935
Object Number
x1960-1
Place Made

Europe, Netherlands, Leiden

Inscription
Initialed in plate on tablet, lower right: L
Marks/Labels/Seals
Collector's stamps, verso lower left: James H. Lockhart (Lugt 4387); Henry Studdy Theobald (Lugt 1375) Watermark: shield with fleur de lis
Reference Numbers
Bartsch 383.78; Jacobowitz 29; Hollstein 78; New Hollstein 78 (Leyden)
Culture
Dutch, European
Type
prints, engravings
Materials
printing ink
Techniques
engraving (printing process)
Subject
townscapes (built environment), men, figures (representations), groups of people, sons, fathers, dogs

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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