The Prodigal Son taking Leave of his Father

Date1794

Publisher Laurie & Whittle

MediumMezzotint with period color

DimensionsOverall: 14 1/4 × 10 5/8in. (36.2 × 27cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1989-255

DescriptionLower margin reads: "THE PRODIGAL SON taking Leave of his Father./ He gathered all together, and took his journey into a far Country. S.t Luke Ch. 15. V. 13/ Published 12th April 1794, by Laurie & Whittle, 53 Fleet Street, London/ Plate 1"
Label TextA story of departure, decline, penitence, and redemption, the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) in which a younger son asks for his father for his inheritance early, squanders the fortune, is reduced to extreme poverty, and is forgiven by his father, has been an important subject for artists since the thirteenth century. The story's narrative was a popular moral subject with both “high and low” audiences, resonating as a warning to the youth and an aspirational example to parents. In the second scene, the prodigal son bids his father farewell, as one servant carries his luggage out the door and another daughter waits for him with a carriage.

The subject reached the height of its popularity in Europe and the Atlantic world during the 18th century, as family values and structures shifted the position of the father as the totalitarian center of the family to a focus on children. The works of Rousseau and Locke encouraged nurturing and egalitarian familial relationships over strict discipline and harsh treatment. Despite the son’s failures and lack of judgement, the father’s forgiveness represents the ideal welcoming and compassionate family unit.