The Prodigal Son in Misery

Date1790

Publisher John Marshall (fl.1782 - 1804)

MediumEtching and line engraving

Credit LineGift of Mr. Robert Goodwin

Object number1974-105,4

DescriptionUpper right corner reads: "4"
Lower margin reads: "Published as the Act directs March 8.th 1790 by John Marshall, N.o 4 Aldermary Church Yard, London."
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 from the fourth of the six-part series, the Prodigal Son, dressed in rags, has spent or lost all his inheritence and now is reduced to stealing bits of food from a group of hogs.

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.