The Prodigal Son returned Home Reclaimed

Date1794

Publisher Laurie & Whittle

MediumHand-colored mezzotint with line engraving

DimensionsOverall: 16 3/8 × 10 7/8in. (41.6 × 27.6cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1989-299

DescriptionLower margin reads: "THE PRODIGAL SON returned Home Reclaimed. / Father, I have Sinned against Heaven, and in thy Sight and am no more worthy to be called thy Son. / Published 12.th May 1794 by LAURIE & WHITTLE, 53 Fleet Street London/ S.t Luke Ch. 15. V. 21."
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 this scene, the prodigal son has returned to beg forgiveness from his father and his welcomed by his father with open arms.

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.
InscribedUpper right corner inscribed in ink reads: "340"