The Prodigal Son Reveling with Harlots

Dateca. 1790 (possibly)

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Lancaster (possibly)

MediumWatercolor and ink on laid paper

DimensionsPrimary Support: 5 15/16 x 7in. (15.1 x 17.8cm) and Framed: 7 7/8 x 8 15/16in. (20 x 22.7cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1959.301.4

DescriptionA scene showing two men and two women seated at a table, one couple slightly larger than the other. The larger couple sits behind the table in the left section of the picture. Both these figures are seated in green ladder-back chairs with red finials and feet. The man's legs appear to straddle the woman's. She wears a green kerchief over a dress (or jacket and petticoat) of two different, spritely, colorful prints, with red shoes. He wears a yellow waistcoat; green, red-faced coat; blue knee breeches; brown shoes; white stockings horizontally dashed with red and blue; and his long brown hair is held en queue at the back with a red bow.
In the righthand section of the picture, the woman wears a jacket and petticoat of differing sprig prints, the petticoat also being striped; she also wears a red and green kerchief, red neck ribbon, and red shoes. She appears to sit on the far knee of the man with her; his arms encircle her waist. He wears a cocked hat; a blue, red- faced coat; a green waistcoat; red knee breeches; brown shoes; and white stockings horizontally dashed with red and blue. He sits in a red ladder-back chair. Two bottles and two glasses are set on the table, which has turned legs, bulbous feet, and a stretcher base. The stretchers are red, the feet blue, and the legs red with green painted turnings. The skirt is blue, edged with a lower border of alternating red and white blocks; above it is molding or painted decoration in a white sawtooth design, and the top is red. A cat sits on the stretcher of the table with a mouse dangling from its mouth.

Artist unidentified.

The 1-inch gilded, cyma recta frame with a gadrooned outer edge is probably a period replacement.
Label TextThis watercolor is notable for its bright colors, some of which undoubtedly owe more to artistic license than to reality. The table's paint scheme of blue feet and skirt, green turnings, and scarlet stretchers, top, and legs make it a memorable piece of furniture. A rich display of contrasting patterns, as seen in the figures' clothing, enchants the eye. The men's dashed stockings stand out against the women's sprigged petticoats, and the patterns of the latter contrast with those of the women's short gowns.
The biblical parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) was an extremely popular teaching tool for eighteenth-and early nineteenth-century moralists. Often the parable's relevance was enhanced by showing the characters in contemporary, rather than ancient, attire. Given this artist's fondness for gaiety, one wonders how he or she would have shown the next scene, of the prodigal son in misery.
MarkingsA largely illegible and unidentifiable watermark, perhaps a fleur-de-lis, is visible at middle right in the primary support.
ProvenanceFound in Lancaster County, Pa.; Elie Nadelman, Riverdale, NY; Martin Grossman, New York, NY.