The Prodigal Son

c. 1496

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is a drawing of a barnyard with a man surrounded by pigs. The scene captures a figure feeding pigs amidst a collection of rustic buildings. The architecture features steeply pitched roofs, various textures, and minute details typical of a medieval setting. At the forefront, several pigs, both adult and piglets, are engrossed in a feeding activity, with a wooden trough centrally placed. The surroundings are etched with fine lines displaying dirt paths, a few scattered toys or tools, and the organic curves of the pigs and trees in the background. The detailed garment of the man and the barns’ textured walls add depth to the intricate composition.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 24.6 × 18.8 cm (9 11/16 × 7 3/8 in.)
    sheet: 24.9 × 19 cm (9 13/16 × 7 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3459

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 28

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

David Bernhard Hausmann [1784-1873], Hanover (Lugt 377); (Richard H. Zinser, Forest Hills, NY); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], 1940; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1949

  • Goethe as a Print Lover: to Celebrate the Bicentennial of his Birth, Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA, 1949, no catalogue.

1953

  • Nuremberg and the German World, 1460-1530: Prints and books from the Kress and Rosenwald Collections, NGA, 1953.

1955

  • Miniatures and Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, NGA, 1955.

1965

  • Selected 15th Century Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 1965, no. 56.

1971

  • Albrecht Dürer: The Early Graphic Works, Princeton University Art Museum, NJ, 1971, no. 51.

1999

  • Religion and Politics: The Renaissance Print in Social Context, Marsh Art Gallery, Richmond, 1999, no. 13.

2018

  • Sharing Images: Renaissance Prints into Maiolica and Bronze, cat. by Jamie Gabbarelli, NGA, 2018, plate 45, repro.

2022

  • Murillo: Picturing the Prodigal Son, Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, 2022, cat. 10, repro.

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

1992

  • Taggard, Mindy Nancarrow. Murillo's Allegories of Salvation and Triumph: The Parable of the Prodigal Son and The Life of Jacob. Columbia, Missouri and London, 1992: p. 58.

1999

  • Johnson, Charles. Religion & Politics: The Renaissance Print in Social Context. Exh. cat. Marsh Art Gallery, University of Richmond, 1999: no.13; illus., p.25.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 1: no. 9.

2022

  • Dotseth, Amanda W., and Roglán, Mark A., editors. Murillo, Picturing the Prodigal Son. Exh. cat. Meadows Museum, Dallas, 2022: 122-123, cat. 10.

Inscriptions

bottom, in plate: AD [artist's monogram]; verso, upper left, in graphite by a later hand: 206; center, in brown ink by a later hand: 209; lower left center, in graphite by a later hand: B.28 D.10; lower left, in graphite by a later hand: J.4940 / K.906V; bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: B-6489 [upside down]

Wikidata ID

Q64952605

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