The Prodigal Son

Honoré Daumier

Associated Names
Honoré Daumier

Artist, French, 1808 - 1879

The image shows a lightly sketched drawing of a person, with a partial view of the body. The figure is in a posture that suggests leaning forward or embracing something, with the head slightly bowed. The facial features are minimal and abstract, and the hair is depicted simply. Flowing lines around the figure suggest clothing, but no detailed attire is shown. The background is a plain, textured paper surface with pencil marks and the word "Regina" written upside down on the right side. The composition is simplistic and abstract, with no other elements in the surrounding area.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 30.4 x 42 cm (11 15/16 x 16 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3239

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Maison 1968, no. 758

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Aubry. (Maurice Gobin [1883-1962]). Lessing J. Rosenwald; gift 1943 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1955

  • Honoré Daumier, Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, TX, 1955, no cat.

1958

  • Honoré Daumier Anniversary Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1958.

1999

  • Daumier: 1808-1879, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., 1999-2000, no. 194, repro. (shown only in Ottawa).

Bibliography

1968

  • Maison, K.E. Honore Daumier: Catalogue Raisonne of the Paintings, Watercolors, and Drawings. 2 vols. Greenwich, CT: New York Graphic Society, 1968: no. 758.

Inscriptions

in later hand, center: Beugnier; lower right: KK 1047; center verso: Beugnier

Wikidata ID

Q64574403

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