Return of the Prodigal Son

Date1636

Maker Rembrandt van Rijn Dutch, 1606-1669

Label TextChrist's parable (Luke 15:11-32) told of an impatient young man who left home, squandered his father's money on fast living, and eventually returned contrite and humiliated, only to be lovingly received by his father. Rembrandt contrasts the wild exposure of the world outside the walls with the solid safety of home and the father's enclosing embrace.

Object number35.179

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Durer, Rembrandt, and Goya: Old Masters Prints from the Seattle Art Museum Collection, May 31, 2001 - January 1, 2002. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Rembrandt Prints From The Seattle Art Museum's Permanent Collection, June 3 - July 25, 1993, in conjunction with Dutch and Flemish Paintings: The Harold Samuel Collection. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, SAM on Paper: Rembrandt's Etchings, May 27, 2024 - ongoing (on view September 2024 - March 2025).

Credit LineManson F. Backus Memorial Collection

Dimensions6 1/8 x 5 1/4 in. (15.6 x 13.4 cm)

MediumEtching